Hunter and Prey
by SilyaBeeodess
Summary: A young girl called Layla has been through enough horrors in one lifetime...and she's only 15! While trying to escape yet another nightmare, she seems to be hunted down by nearly everyone in the galaxy, including the infamous bounty hunter, Bossk. The tribal near-human is worth more than she knows, and Bossk intends to bring in her hide, but who knows what he's getting into.
1. Chapter 1: Layla

A young girl-no older than fifteen standard years- slowly moved her hand upon the cold ground. Her eyes opened suddenly and she popped herself up to a sitting position. _How long have I been out?_ She examined her surroundings. She was in a dark, small cell, with durasteel walls on all sides except for one, the entrance, where metal bars stood solid and a wall of energy blocked anyway to escape. There was a drain in the middle of the floor and the cell reeked of dried blood and urine from its last occupant.

She shifted her hand to reach out to the bars, only to first hear the sound of scraping metal. Looking at her arms, she saw chains connected to her wrists and then to the wall behind her. There were similar chains attached to her ankles as well. For the time being, she ignored them, and reached out to the bars once more. The energy wall sizzled as it shocked her and she jumped back, clutching her stinging hand.

She did not feel fear at being trapped like this, nor did she concentrate on that sudden, sharp pain. No, her mind was elsewhere, worrying more so on _who _had trapped her and where in the galaxy she was. She had no quarrel with anyone; anyone still _alive_ that is. The girl looked back on the events just before her capture...

She had been placed on an island, captured and trained to kill for the entertainment of others. More importantly, she had been winning. She had used a knife-which was the only type of weapon given to the competitors- to craft herself a wooden bow and arrows, just as she used back home in her tribe on Rigossa. She has also made a wooden spear as well. She might not have been the strongest fighter, but she was just cunning enough to survive.

It was the final battle, between her and a humanoid male-some memory said he was from a species called Gamorrian. He was much bigger and tougher. The tides seemed to have turned at one point when her bow flew out of reach and the male advanced on her quickly. She didn't know whether to be grateful or fearful when someone- off in the safety of a lab no doubt- had let lose a hulking rancor. Both had run off, trying to get away from the monster.

Unfortunately, the Gamorrian hadn't been quick enough, and was eaten alive. Even though the girl had been the last survivor, no one came to her rescue. The rancor then seemed focused only on eating her. She had backed up against a rock ledge, cornered, but waiting, and as the beast lowered its face to howl at her, she stabbed it cleanly in one eye with her spear.

The rancor gave a howl of pain and, taking the opportunity, the girl raced away and back to her bow, rolling and retrieving it. The rancor managed to whack the spear out of its eye, but it was obvious it had been blinded. In no time, the creature had an arrow stuck into the other eye as well.

Now he was ticked, but he couldn't see either. The girl collected her spear and, with _a lot_ of effort, climbed onto the back of the beast. She stabbed and dug the spear right in a weak spot between the two armored plates on its back. The following scream sent a violent shudder down her spine. She held on to the spear tightly as the thing collapsed on the dirt, dead. Luckily the rancor didn't fall backwards or she would've been squished like a bug.

First there was silence, then the loud sounds of applause and cheering. She climbed off the corpses back and looked around hopefully, wondering if now she could exit this nightmare. However, she didn't have much time to look for an escape. She had felt something pierce her skin in the back of her neck, then numbness, and finally there was darkness.

Now it seemed she had entered a whole new nightmare. She had been told she could go home if she won, and this certainly was not home. She looked up upon hearing the energy wall turn off, and the barred gate opened. A large figure walked in and towered over her.

This person was a Trandoshan named Pekt, a powerful slaver well known for his sadistic nature. He wore a black tunic with grey pants that ended by his bare feet. His scales were a light green color. "So, you've finally decided to wake up," he said with a slight laugh. He picked her up by the throat and examined the girl. "Ugly little thing, aren't you?"

The girl didn't respond and spat in his face in retaliation to being grabbed. Given all she'd been through, it wasn't like she was at the peak of health. Her cheeks were sunken in some and she had dark bags under her eyes from restless nights. She was covered in cuts and bruises that were never healed in or after the competition. However, she wasn't ugly, by most other humanoid and human standards anyway. She had long, brown hair that flowed down her back, though currently tangled and matted. She had light, olive skin, full lips, and eyes that would change color sometimes. Right now they were a greyish green, unblinking and glaring at Pekt in anger.

Pekt's own eyes tinged with fury at this. He slammed the girl right into the wall and tightened his grip, using the other hand to wipe his face. "You little pest!" He spat in her face next. "You _will_ learn some respect, or I swear it, I'll skin you alive and have your hide nailed to the wall!"

The girl began to see black spots dance across her vision as he gripped harder, she futilely tried to pry away his claws from her neck. Seeing she was bordering unconsciousness, Pekt released and dropped her, giving a final kick at her abdomen. He stormed out, calling to a pair of other slavers, "Take Layla and redress her. Keep her binders on and place a shock collar around her neck. If she tries to escape, bring her to me immediately!"

Two other Trandoshans stepped into the girl's cell and begin removing the chains, attaching a pair of binders to her wrists instead, gripping her tightly to ensure that she wouldn't go anywhere. Her eyes widened. _Layla…_ That was not her real name. It was a slave girl's name. Her heart began to pound.

The pair half led, half dragged her out of the cell. Layla was in a state of disbelief. She was to be a slave, tortured and forced to give her soul to her master, and a cruel one at that. Any resistance or rebellion would mean severe punishment…but that did not stop her from trying to fight back and get out of the two Trandoshans' grasps.


	2. Chapter 2: Death Wish

The fight had been brutal, short, and evidently pointless. Layla was still too weak to put up much of a challenge, and when you add that to the two _Trandoshans_, who are known for their strength, losing was inevitable for her. She had kicked and clawed, and even resorted to biting when she got the chance. Other slaves watched amusingly from their cells at the surprised Trandoshans' struggle to hold her down. In the end, however, she wound up being dragged across the floor, beaten and looking in worse shape than before, straight to the throne room of Pekt.

_If I didn't know any better, I'd think she had a death wish, _thought Pekt as he turned and saw two of his men drag Layla across the ground and pin her down on her knees before him. Despite her condition, she looked like she would lash out at anyone of them at any second. She was determined and spirited; he had to give her credit for that. _But that will be her ending._

"Already causing problems, I see," he said, holding a goblet and sitting on his throne. He had literally only sat down a few minutes before this.

One of the men spoke up, "She started fighting moments after we took her out of her cell."

"Then it seems she needs to learn obedience as well as respect." He set down the goblet and walked to her, drawing out a blaster pistol. In seconds, he had Layla by her throat and had the barrel pressed against her skull. "I know you're from a pathetic planet in ways of technology, but you do know what this is, right?" Pekt asked. "If you do, then know that I'd be more than happy to pull the trigger and blast your brains out."

Layla stared him down, "Go 'head," she said in pigeon basic, "Don't care. I no one slave."

Pekt frowned. _She's not as cowardly as I thought. _The thing was he didn't want to kill her. He wanted to _break _her. He wanted her to bow before him like the weakling he knew she was. Yes, Layla's pelt was no doubt worth a good amount of _Jagannath _points, a nice gift to his Goddess, the Scorekeeper, but nothing would satisfy Pekt more than knowing his prey had given up all hope and was ready to roll over and quit. The thought of soon watching this girl beg for mercy made him flick his tongue with pleasure.

Pekt holstered his blaster and gave Layla a crooked grin. "Not yet, I'm afraid." He tossed her back towards his men, who grabbed her by her arms. He grabbed something else from his belt, a shock collar made by him personally, and one of his favorites. He locked it on her throat and right after, the men shoved her to the ground.

Layla landed on her hands and knees as Pekt took out a small remote control and pressed a button. The collar activated and sent electric waves through her. To his delight, he noticed Layla bite her lip in order not to scream. The collar was only on one of its lower settings. She had her fists clenched and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Give up, yet?"

After a moment, Layla answered, "N-Never…"

Pekt kicked her in the side and Layla rolled onto her back. He placed one foot on her throat and she tried to shove it off, to no avail. "Worthless wretch," he said through clenched fangs. He walked back to his throne and said without turning around, "As you were."

The men dragged Layla out of the room.

By the time Layla was back in her cell and chained back to the wall, she was exhausted. She now wore a dark crimson shirt of some soft fabric that ended a few inches above her stomach and had no sleeves, along with a ripped up matching skirt. Her eyes had changed to a light hazel. It felt much colder than before in the cell and the cold metal chilled her bare feet and skin.

She rested herself in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was homesick and tired, oh so tired. Due to her struggle with the other slavers and Pekt, she had been told she wouldn't be allowed food today or tomorrow save for some water, and that was only when the guards chose to give her a bit.

On top of everything, the shock collar was annoying her like crazy, and anytime she tried to fiddle with it, she'd earn a sharp zap. Out of habit, she wound up getting zapped multiple times. She could almost hear Pekt and his men laughing at her trouble.

She knew she had to escape; she had to try or die trying. After all she'd been though; being yanked from her home-where she was already practically an outcast, forced on that island, and now trapped here, she didn't care if she lived or died anymore. She wanted freedom.

Freedom; it seemed like such a foreign word at this point. She had heard stories as a little child of planets who were in something called a "Grand Republic", whatever that was, and that everyone was free and equal on those. How she wished to be on one of those worlds right now.

It was only a matter of minutes before fatigue took over, and Layla dreamt of those planets. When morning would come, she would be daydreaming of broken chains and escape plans.


	3. Chapter 3: Bounty

_Two months later…_

Bossk sat in a corner booth at the Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina on Tatooine, drinking a bottle of Lum. Even though Bossk was still a teenager in Trandoshan years, he was still old enough to enter places like this. Not that anyone would dare try to stop him from coming in anyway.

He was alone, and had been working alone for quite a while now. He and his former partner, a human adolescent by the name of Boba Fett, had stopped pairing up for jobs a good long time ago. _Not soon enough,_ thought Bossk. He and Boba had... different views on the Bounty Hunters' Guild. _I should've just let that little whelp get his butt kicked by Hardeen back in prison. _Now he had no clue where Boba was and frankly didn't care anymore.

He began busying himself by looking through the cantina's datafiles on some of the newest posts for bounties. Most of them were either for rookies, wanted the merchandise alive, or couldn't be done without a team. Bossk sighed; he was getting impatient and needed a job that would suit his bloodlust without getting himself killed off in the process. He kept scrolling until he found one that intrigued him.

_Wanted Dead or Alive: 25,000 credits_

_Name- Layla _

_Age- 15 standard years_

_Homeworld- Rigossa_

_Species- Near-Human_

Bossk continued reading the description. He found out that she was one of Pekt's runaway slaves, so Layla might not even be her real name. _That's a lot of credits for someone like this._ He also discovered she had escaped from the garrisons just a couple weeks ago, so being from a tribal planet like Rigossa, which didn't have much in ways of space travel or technology in general, she couldn't have gone far. Heck, she couldn't even fly a ship even if she had one. Plus, who on Trandosha would even _want_ to help her?

Rigossa was a planet of a bunch of Near-Human tribes, who more often than not raged war on each other. Near-Human meaning they look like humans, but are just barely different physically. In this case, the Rigossans were taller, stronger, faster, and overall better than humans. Some of their males could even match up to a Trandoshans height and strength.

The post contained an image of the girl as well. It even contained extremities in body temperature. _Wonder why Pekt would want a stupid, foolish runaway slave this badly,_ Bossk thought. There was also something itching inside his brain that told him the girl was familiar as well. Working from a hunch, he searched on his datapad and not long after found out why. Layla had been on a Holotube show he had watched on occasion called, _Survival of the Fittest, _a reality show where they either sent slaves, wanted men, or less advanced sentient beings in a ring like area to kill one another off or else be killed off by the show hosts. The competitors are told they would be let go if they won, and then stabbed in the back and sold off to the highest bidder if they did. If they were social creatures, the hosts would sometimes leave them there as another way of torture, watching as the being slowly became something more savage then sentient and then killing them off in the end.

Bossk guzzled down the rest of the bottle of Lum and walked out of the cantina, toward his waiting ship, the _Hound's Tooth. _He had a mutual relationship with Pekt- once Bossk had traded him some Wookiee pelts for some customized weapons- and decided to take on this bounty. Besides, if the girl managed to squirm her way out of that tight fortress and had evaded capture this long, then this would prove to be a very interesting hunt.

His mind was already made up on whether to take her alive or not. As he sat down in the cockpit, he brandished his blaster rifle and started envisioning shooting Layla in the heart, watching her corpse fall to the earth with a burnt hole drilled through it. Sentimental feelings weren't wasted on Trandoshans and she was just another piece of merchandise. Besides, she was no doubt better off getting killed by himself then placed in the hands of Pekt again. Pekt would make certain her death was as slow and inhumane as possible. Bossk grinned at the thought.

The _Hound_ took orbit over Tatooine and Bossk began setting the coordinates into the navi-computer for Trandosha. Once his ship had lurched into hyperspace, Bossk went to his cabin and began searching for holorecordings of this season's _Survival of the Fittest_. He watched them from the very beginning, noting Layla's movements, tactics, and habits, memorizing her strengths and weaknesses.

He had to admit, he was impressed when he watched her take down a full grown rancor, although not many people had thought to take away its sight either. For someone like her, she was a remarkable killer. If she was a Trandoshan, she might have even been seen as a valuable mate. Bossk chuckled as he watched Layla look around hopefully, then get shot by a blow dart in the back of the neck, already unconscious before hitting the ground.

Bossk switched off the Holotube and lay back on his bunk, one hand behind his head and the other across his chest, absorbing the flow of information on his target. He figured he'd take a nap while he had the chance; the _Hound_ would alert him well before it was time to exit hyperspace.

Suddenly he heard something that sounded like crates falling and looked out in the hall just in time to see the shadow of something about two meters long scurry away, making squeaking sounds. "Stupid womp rats!" Bossk muttered. The thing must've crawled through the landing gear. How it managed to _not _set off a trap and get picked off, he'd never know, but he'd make sure it wouldn't happen again. Grabbing his blaster rifle, he went down the hall, sniffing out the little pest.


	4. Chapter 4: Where is she?

_On Trandosha…_

Layla sat up in a tree in one of the marshy forests of the planet, breathing softly and silently, covered by the large leaves and moss that draped around her. She had learned only a little while after she got here that the Trandoshans could not only track her down by her scent, but also see her body heat. Therefore, she had mud mixed with rotting plants on the majority of her body in attempt to make it harder for that to happen and for camouflage. It also helped when she tried to hunt for food.

Down below, a group of three slavers- two Trandoshans and a Zygerrian-were searching for her. Layla tracked them with her eyes, gripping tightly to the trunk and praying they wouldn't find her. The only weapon she had on her now was a dagger she had snatched off on of the guards while escaping. She had a blaster pistol earlier on, but most of its powercell had been quickly drained as she had tried to shoot down her opponents with the unfamiliar weapon. Later on, as she was hunting some bird in the marsh, she had tried to fire at it only to discover the blaster had been deactivated, so she had tossed the useless thing in the water.

She would've liked to have gotten the chance to stop and craft a bow and arrows like she did in the ring, but she was always on the run. Layla considered herself lucky if she got a few minutes to pick a few plants she thought were edible. It seemed anytime she thought she was safe to rest, the slavers were back on her trail.

She watched the three men relaxed their muscles and lowered their weapons, then walked back the way they came. Layla still did not move. She heard the low whir of speeders as they zoomed past. Breathing a sigh of relief, she climbed up higher into the tree to make sure they were gone and that no one else was in the area.

She saw no one and heard the nearby birds beginning to make sounds again. Her teeth and eyes stood out from her muddy face as she smiled. Now to search for something to eat.

A few branches down, there was a bird's nest with five small eggs inside. She recognized them to be Convor eggs; there had been some Convors on the island she had been trapped on. Layla wondered if that island might be anywhere nearby and felt a chill go down her spine. She carefully took three of the eggs-she had a strange feeling there was nothing in these- and quietly climbed down to the wet earth below.

Layla wondered when her luck was bound to run out, because after she had started a small fire and cracked the eggs open on a thin, flat stone, her guess was proved correct. She waited impatiently as they cooked, biting on a tall piece of grass to give her mouth something to do.

Meanwhile, in a docking bay a few hours ride away, Bossk had just landed the_ Hound_ and was gathering what information he could on Layla's whereabouts without letting too many know of his intentions for her capture. The girl had apparently been a popular topic amongst the townspeople once it was discovered that she had gotten away. Bossk could only imagine that embarrassment of allowing something so weak and idiotic escape from a man's grasp, and then knowing the situation had become somewhat of a joke to others.

In no time, he had rented a speeder bike and was on his way toward the swamp-like woods.


	5. Chapter 5: Hope

Layla quietly walked around the marsh. For what it had been, the meal was good, though she was still a bit hungry. She didn't have any rope or wire to make traps with either; not even veins from animals to use. She kept one hand by her waist where her dagger was and fiddled with her shock collar with the other, badly wanting the stupid thing to come off.

She had been electrocuted a few times while trying to escape, but she persevered, and afterwards, she bashed the thing with a rock repeatedly, disabling it. However, now it was even more uncomfortable and unbearable. Her neck was bruised in a few spots from the bashing as well.

She had been walking for a while now and her throat felt sore and dry. It didn't help at all that it was gripped and abused so often by Pekt, along with some of his men. She hoped it would someday soon heal properly.

After arguing with herself about stopping or not, she finally sat down in the lukewarm water, hiding in the tall grasses. It took time, but Layla weaved and weaved some of the grasses tightly to form a small bowl of sorts. It wasn't her best work-weaving wasn't even her best skill-but it was usable.

Layla lifted up a dry section of her skirt and used one hand to cup the water and pour it on, using the skirt as a type of filter. The water flowed down and fell into the grass bowl, while visible algae and bugs were caught. Layla smiled, pleased with herself. It wasn't the most efficient way, but it's what she had to work with other than risking another fire and boiling it.

When Bossk caught the faint scent of something unfamiliar to Trandosha's marshland, he immediately drove his speeder in that direction, parking it a good 250 meters from where the scent was strongest. Moving on foot, he was quiet and careful not to make much noise. He hid behind a large tree and looked around, gripping his blaster rifle tightly, his heart pounding with adrenaline.

At first, he couldn't see anything, but he stayed knowing his target must be close by and unaware of a threat. Then he looked down in the high grasses and saw movement. Risking a closer look, he got a little bit further away from the cover of the tree. He just made out the shape of what looked like a person sitting down. When Bossk just barely caught site of Layla's skin, where the mud was beginning to wash off, he flashed a toothy grin.

_Clever little creature,_ he thought, _Just not clever enough._ Bossk slowly picked up a nearby hunk of wood, testing its weight first before tossing it far off towards the right out of Layla's view. It splashed into the water.

Her reaction was immediate. She froze at the sound, listening intently. When Layla didn't hear anything else, she slowly turned around and looked in the direction of the noise. Bossk had just seen her eyes when he lifted up his rifle, aiming at her skull. _This is too easy._

Layla's heart pounded, something was definitely wrong and she couldn't place what it was. Pure instinct was telling her to get out of there fast, but get away from what exactly? Out of the corner of one eye, she saw something glint once it had left the shade of the trees. She looked in that direction and wound up staring into the muzzle of a blaster rifle, and a Trandoshan she had never seen before clutching it in his claws. She had just enough time to get down flat, covering her head, before the brute fired.

Bossk cursed himself when he saw Layla get down and that his shot had missed, instead hitting a large boulder. He watched as she began crawling and backing away from him, then turning to take off into a run.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted, holding his rifle in one hand and going after her.

He didn't get too close. Layla drew at her dagger and threw it at him. If he hadn't moved quickly enough, it would've lodged right in his chest. Even when Bossk dodged, it still cut him on his upper arm. He growled at her and examined the cut.

"Why you little-" Bossk looked up and cut his sentence short. She was already at a fast run.

Driven by a desire for payback as well as his love of the hunt, he took off after Layla. Thankfully, for her, she was pretty quick, and could keep a good distance away from him.

Layla looked back behind her to see if Bossk was gaining. The next thing she knew, a thick root caught her foot, and she fell face first into the water. Wet mud slid off her skin and face as she attempted to regain her footing, but all too late.

Bossk skid to a stop in front of her and quickly gripped one of her ankles, twisting it until he heard something pop. Layla yelped with pain and tried to get loose, but Bossk only pulled her closer. She was on her hands and knees now.

He let her go and flipped her over with one foot so she would be facing him. He pointed his rifle at her chest. "Nowhere to run now, whelp," he gloated, licking his fangs, "You're finished."

Layla's next move was risky, stupid, and had limited chance of success, but at that moment it was all she could thing of off the top of her head. She kicked upward and knocked the weapon out of Bossk's claws, causing it to fire a bolt about two feet above her. Before he could react, Layla kicked him in the chest with the same foot, sending him stumbling back a few steps. She quickly grabbed the weapon and sent it flying far into the marsh, then took off again before Bossk could grab her.

"When I get my claws on you, you're dead meat!" Bossk roared at her. She didn't even bother to turn around or say anything this time. Bossk took out a small weapon off his belt that looked like a mini blaster pistol. This was one of the customized weapons he had Pekt make him. He aimed carefully and fired.

Layla felt something hard and sharp hit her square in the shoulder and stumbled forward, but she didn't stop. She kept on running. "You won't get far!" she heard Bossk shout behind her.

Bossk figured he couldn't catch her by now and he watched her run out of sight. _Let her wear herself out, _he told himself. It wouldn't matter where she ran now anyway. He would know exactly where she was. _And by the time I'm finished with her, she'll wish she'd never seen the light of day._

He went off in the direction Layla had thrown his rifle. When he found it and picked it up, water drizzled out of the barrel. It was covered in gunk. "Crap." _Well, this will fun to clean._ He made a point to remember to ring Layla's neck for good measure _before_ putting a blaster bolt through her skull. With that thought in mind, Bossk headed back for his speeder.

It was dark when Layla finally fell down to her knees and stopped running. Her head throbbed painfully and her shoulder felt badly bruised from where the Trandoshan had shot her. She hadn't been this close to death before and now she had nothing to fight back with, if and when he came after her again. _Now what?_ If she had been anyone less stubborn, she would've started breaking down by now.

She lay on her back, trying to catch her breath, and looked up to the stars. One of them was home… She reached up for a second as if it were possible to grasp a star and hold it in her hand. Suddenly she sat up. The sky looked different than before. A section of it seemed to get brighter as it touched the earth. Curious, Layla began to climb a tree for a better look.

Her ankle seemed to protest, because she practically had to limp over. It hadn't hurt this bad while she was running, but then again that wasn't her main concern at the time. Now it might as well have been screaming for her attention. Layla climber anyway though, gritting her teeth.

When she caught to the top, she covered her mouth in awe. She was nearby a small down and there were ships everywhere. She had never seen or been on a ship before…never while she was _conscious _anyway. She must have been on a ship when she was kidnapped and then later taken here.

She peered at a large cargo freighter and saw two people, a Human male and a Zabrak female, talking to one another in front of the open loading ramp. Layla considered the two, and didn't think they looked like much of a threat, but she still wasn't about to walk up and ask them for help.

She climbed back down and waited behind a bunch of crates. The pair seemed to be arguing on their destination. Eventually, however, they went inside the ship. Layla had ran and rolled inside just before the ramp sealed shut. Hiding behind a few stacks large, closed containers, she curled up and waited. She felt a bit excited about being on an actual space ship. She also felt a ton of relief at finally getting off this planet. She didn't think anyone would guess where she went now. After all, she didn't even know where she was going.

Her heart filled with something she hadn't had in a long while; hope. Even if she couldn't make it back to Rigossa, she could still have a chance to learn like some of the children from other worlds did. She felt she was a fast enough learner. How she'd do it all…Well, she'd cross that bridge when she got there.

She almost fell over when the ship jumped into hyperspace, but the ride soon began to get smoother. She closed her eyes, already half asleep, and quickly drifted off.


	6. Chapter 6: Allies and Enemies

_Just my luck,_ Bossk thought bitterly. He was now back inside the _Hound, _examining a hologram map. After he had cleansed and bandaged up the cut on his arm then cleaned and polished his rifle, he had gone to the cockpit to see where Layla has run off to this time. He knew he had shot that tracking device into her and it would take some doing to dig it out of her skin. Once fired, it would latch on to its target as a tick would its host.

He had originally assumed that she would be passed out somewhere in one of the other nearby marshes and jungles, but when he failed to see a red blimp on screen to indicate her, he started expanding the search further on his maps. When she didn't appear anywhere on Trandosha, his blood had boiled with a newfound source of anger. Bossk had then checked to see her exact movements and course. He didn't need to be told she was on some sort of ship; the speed she was moving at along with the fact that the coordinates stated she was in the middle of nowhere space did more than give it away.

He eliminated any theory of someone from her homeworld picking her up right off the bat. Since Rigossa's economy dealt in trade rather than credits, they wouldn't have hired anyone to snatch her up. Still, there was the chance that one of the Hutt's thugs might've kidnapped her. He knew she could be seen as a type of prize to not only them and his people, but any other wealthy creature with a lust for power. If that was the case, then it would complicate things greatly.

Where ever she was headed, Bossk would still track her down. He was more than looking forward to it; he hadn't had a decent challenge in a good while.

_On Trandosha…_

Pekt sat in his chambers, rubbing his temple. In less than a month, he had gone from being at the highest respect of slavers to being humiliated and mocked at by even his rawest of underlings. This was all because of one annoyingly stubborn, little brat.

Worst of all, her stunt not only damaged his reputation, but it had begun to inspire a small source of hope in some of his other slaves as well. After all, if a mere child from a pitiful, lowlife planet could elude him and get away, then others were bound to attempt to as well. He already had three prison riots and one breakout attempt in just the two weeks Layla had vanished.

"She can't hide forever," Pekt growled at himself. He was already relishing the process of her punishment if she was brought back to him alive. Personally, he would have rather gone after her and hauled her back himself, guaranteeing she'd live long enough so he could make her every waking minute agonizing, but that also might have let the story spread further abroad.

Regretfully, all he could do now was wait.

_On "Fangblade"…_

Layla woke up upon feeling a gentle shake on her shoulder and hearing a soft voice telling her to get up. She blinked her eyes open to look straight up at the Zabrak female she had seen earlier. Frightened, Layla backed up further against the wall.

"Calm down kid, I'm not going to hurt you," the woman said sweetly with a slight giggle. "Although you should know that most stowaways aren't taken to very kindly."

Layla stared up at her, wondering if the woman's kindness was real. As if reading her mind, the woman reached down to offer a hand and began to pull her up off the floor. Despite her effort, Layla winced from the sudden pain in her ankle. The woman frowned and examined Layla further. "We have a medical droid on board. Let's see what we can do about your…current state."

Layla nodded, not knowing what to say. The woman helped lead her pass a bunch of crates and down a narrow passage. She called out, "Ismail, I found our secret passenger. She needs medical attention stat," she looked at Layla's face again then added, "Also a bath and a meal."

A man's gruff voice came though the passageway, "You're kidding right? You want to _help_ the twerp? She's probably some street punk who had issues with her parents."

"Ok then. Would you rather go back to Trandosha-which would throw us even farther off schedule-and drop her off there?"

There was a low grumble before Ismail responded, "Fine, whatever, but is she steals anything it ain't my fault!"

The woman smirks, "Don't take anything personally, he's always moody. He'll warm up to you…eventually."

The Zabrak led Layla farther down the passage and pressed a button on a panel, the door zipped sideways and the two entered a small, sterilized room which served as a medical bay. There was a droid standing a few feet away. "Indie, I need you to see what you can do about patching this kid up. She seems to have hurt her leg or something as well."

"**Yes, Mistress Amelie. Happy to assist."**

Amelie looked at Layla, noticing the stunned expression on her face, "Don't worry, you're in perfectly capable hands."

"Thank you…" Layla said softly before Amelie left.

"**Now, let's see what the damage is,"** Indie said, gesturing for her to sit on a counter-like seat. She obeyed, but jumped when a scanner popped out of the wall. Her leg was stretched out flat. **"A few fractured bones in your ankle, a number of minor cuts and bruises, sleep deprivation, lack of vitamins and water, injured throat. This might take a while."** He looked up and seemed taken aback when he noticed the shock collar around Layla's neck. **"We can't heal you with that on. Be still."** With tactical precision, Indie used a tool she could not recognize to cut the collar off without hurting her. She was feeling better already. 


	7. Chapter 7: Detour

Layla sat in the galley of _Fangblade_ with Ismail and Amelie, answering their questions on who she was and telling her story on why she snuck onboard their ship. They didn't seem to be angry with her. On the contrary, they were willing to help her the best they could. Layla currently wore one of Amelie's old jumpsuits-a soft blue one- along with a pair of hand-me-down leather boots and a jacket.

Her wounds hand been cleaned and covered with bacta and her ankle had a transparent compression bandage wrapped around it to hold the bones in place as they healed. Indie has also injected a health stim into it to speed up the healing process. At first it had hurt even worse than before and Layla was nervous about having a needle stuck into her, but it quickly felt better again and even dulled some of the pain from earlier.

"So let me get this straight; you were nabbed off your planet, forced to fight to the death, thrown into slavery and by some miracle escaped, and are now being chased down like a dog by Pekt's boys?" Ismail asked with a raised eyebrow.

Layla nodded, sipping a glass of Bantha milk.

"Well, I've heard bigger lies." Amelie smacked him in the back of the head, "Hey! What was that for?"

Ignoring him, Amelie looked at Layla, "Look, if what you're saying is true, we won't be able to protect you against them. However, we're not going to turn you in and throw you in a Krayt Dragon's jaws either. We'll be dropping off some cargo on Nar Shaddaa. A friend of ours owns a small restaurant in the Refugee Sector there. It's not much, but I think we could convince her to help get you on your feet and show you a thing or two."

This was more than Layla had hoped for. Her eyes lit up and she hugged Amelie tightly, almost causing her to fall out of her seat. "Thank you! I owe big time. No idea how grate-ful I'm."

Amelie laughed, hugging her back, "Just promise us you won't sneak onboard anymore ships after words, alright?"

Layla nodded, then turned around and hugged Ismail as well. The shocked man didn't know what to do and just patted her on the head, "Ummm…It's nothing. What she said."

After finishing up dinner, Amelie led Layla to the crew's cabin. "This is where you and I'll be sleeping. Go get some rest. I have to help Ismail back up in the cockpit." Closing the door behind her, she had just turned around when she heard Indie call out for her.

"**Mistress Amelie."**

"What is it, Indie? You don't have a malfunction do you? I could easily do some maintenance."

"**No Mistress. I am fully functional. I have to tell you something about our new passenger."**

She frowned, "Yes?"

"**I discovered a metal device attached to her skin on her left shoulder. I do not believe it is a cybernetic."**

"Did she seem aware of it?"

"**No Mistress."**

"Were you able to remove it?"

"**No Mistress, I would require the proper surgical tools to do so."**

"Hmmm, then when we stop, we'll take her to a medical facility so that they may. Thank you, Indie," with that she headed to the cockpit to tell Ismail of this new detour.


	8. Chapter 8: Nar Shaddaa

Bossk was ticked. Scratch that; enraged. It seemed as if the universe itself was trying to stop him from reaching that girl. No sooner had he plotted the course for Nar Shaddaa and jumped into lightspeed, the tracker suddenly blinked out. The maps indicated its last location was at a medical facility, so it was safe to say she was getting help somehow. "I'll rip them apart!" he roared, restraining himself from smashing the controls.

Worst of all, by the time he exited hyperspace and got landing clearance, her scent would be lost. He would need to start back to square one…But, then again, there were always those who had removed the tracker in the first place.

He grinned. He could easily get them to squeal on who Layla had gone with. Then Bossk would tear them to sheds, piece by piece, making sure Layla would see everything before her own death.

_Meanwhile…_

Layla's shoulder ached. She was nervous all through the procedure that that thing would take some of her skin with it upon removal. However, it all turned out fine in the end, and whatever it was was destroyed. Amelie and Ismail would not tell her what it was for though, and had remained quiet and serious since.

She watched happily from her seat in the landspeeder as they quickly passed buildings and marshes. It was even swampier here then where she had been on Trandosha, and everything had a brown, almost rotting look to it, but she didn't care.

"She's like a little child," sighed Amelie softly, sitting in the front seat and watching Layla behind her, who watched with eyes full of interest at whatever they came across and passed. "Think she'll even last long here? It's not exactly an ideal place for someone so…so new to the galaxy."

Ismail didn't look at her, but paid attention to where he was driving. "We've grown up in worse, you know that. Plus it ain't like she ain't a fighter if she was telling the truth," he risked taking a fast glance at the backseat. "Although she is pretty innocent for her age. Bright side is this'll toughen her up more than taking her home would. We don't fall far off schedule, and she's less likely to get nabbed again, everybody wins."

Amelie nodded, deep in her own thoughts. She wouldn't get attached to this kid. She knew that if they tried to teach Layla it would only lead to trouble for all three of them. This was the best option. "So, kid, think you'll like it here?" she called to the back in order to break the silence.

"Uh-huh. I fine here. Thank you."

Amelie had to stop herself from chuckling. It was clear Layla wasn't completely used to speaking Basic. On top of that, this was probably the hundredth time she had thanked them since they found her in the cargo hold. "Glad to hear it. We'll be there shortly. You got everything?"

In response, Layla held up a small, well-used duffel bag. It was the only thing they could find on the ship for her to carry things in on such short notice. Inside was a hairbrush, another one of Amelie's hand-me-down jumpsuits-this one a dark grey- and a kitchen knife from the galley. The knife was small enough to conceal incase she needed it and they didn't know when she would be able to get a blaster.

They pulled up to a restaurant in one of the shabbier areas of town, but the place did get good business. It was a good location when you didn't want to be overheard by unwanted ears and the food was edible, more than what could be said for a lot of places like this. The trio hopped out of the landspeeder and walked inside. Tables and booths littered about and there was bar on the farthest side. A small stage was on the right, sound equipment placed upon it for that evening's band. A flight of stairs was on the left. Thankfully the morning rush had ended.

"Alva! Ya here?" Ismail called out.

After a moment, the sound of a woman's soprano voice came from upstairs. "I'm coming. I'm coming." Soon a purple Twi'lek appeared on the top of the stairs and whipped down them quickly. She was wearing light brown robes and white apron. Alva looked to be in her mid-forties and had signs of weariness on her face, but had the most beautiful smile. She looked Layla over. "You both never do come by just to say hello, do you? I thought you said on the comm. that the girl was fifteen. She's not an inch shorter than me."

"She's a Rigossan. They have a larger build than most humans," Amelie said.

Alva laughed and rubbed Layla on the head messing up her hair, "Well now, don't get any ideas about making a fake ID just because you _look_ older. Can't have a drunkard for a waitress, can I?" Layla looked up curiously, but smiled to be polite. To be honest, she had never even heard of alcoholic drinks, although some of her people did smoke on ceremonies.

"Well," Alva said, nodding to the top floor, "Go on up. I've got a room ready for you. Let us old folk talk for a bit." After thanking Alva, and a stifled laugh from Ismail, she raced up the steps. "All the way down, go in the hall, second door on your left!" Layla heard her yell.

Once she couldn't hear Layla's footsteps anymore, Alva turned to the pair. "You know, I've missed you both and she seems like a nice kid, but tell me; what exactly am I facing here?" she asked with a mischievous smirk on her face.


	9. Chapter 9: Music and Screams

Until she had completely learned how to speak Basic, and had learned more than just basic math, Alva had sent Layla on dish duty in the back. Layla didn't mind; it was quieter back there and she wouldn't have to speak to strangers. She was glad no one would be watching her in here. No one would take any interest into someone who was just a dishwasher.

That evening was fairly busy. She could hear the music from the band,_ Pekkie Blu and the Starboys,_ and was silently humming along to the songs once she found the rhythm. She wondered what it was like to be a musician or a singer. Back home, it was fun to dance and sing, or play an instrument, but frowned upon if someone ever decided to pursue a career in entertainment. Being an entertainer didn't get more crops grown in before the harvest, or increase production in minerals and ores. All it did was make life a little less dull. It wasn't a necessary to survival.

It was getting awfully late in the night and Layla's fingers had already gotten pruney, despite the gloves she wore, when Alva came in the kitchen. She had been working as the bartender while another Twi'lek girl had waited on the tables.

"Busy night, huh? I think this was one of the most profitable ones this shack has had in a while. Maybe you're a good luck charm or something," Alva said, smiling.

"Music nice. Quiet now. Every one leave?" Layla asked while finishing up the last of the dishes and glasses, then putting them away.

"Almost everyone, yeah. There's just a handful of people finishing up their meals or trying to drag their drunken pals back on their feet. Nothing to worry about. Come on now, it's getting late and you've had a long day. I've got some fruit juice and Vorzyd sliders for dinner, with some Pallie fruit for dessert."

After setting the gloves beside the sink, Layla followed Alva out of the room and the pair sat together and ate, talking a bit more about each other's histories and species.

"So, out of curiosity, what separates you from humans? I mean, you look the same 'cept you're bigger," Alva asked teasingly.

Layla shrugged, "There man back home, from far world. Fall from sky one day in ship. He say he sci…sci-un-test. He say thing called grav-T heavy on world. That we bigger 'cause it."

Alva nodded, "Anything else? You're people might just be humans that were separated from the rest of them."

"There signs. We have on neck. It behind hair." She lifted up her hear and turned around, revealing a pattern of small tattoos on the back of her neck. Almost like an unknown inscription from a millennia ago.

"It's pretty. Have you had it since you were born?"

Layla sat back down, "I no know. No one say. I no ask."

A rough-looking Snivvian, one of the last people in the room, got up from his booth and began to walk out the door. A credit chip dropped out of a pouch on his belt, and before Alva could stop her, Layla got up and picked it off the ground, then rushed over before the man could go outside.

"Sir, sir, I think you drop," she said, holding out the chip to him and grinning.

The Snivvian glared at her, looking her up and down before snatching the chip away. He looked to make sure she hadn't stolen any credits off of it before re-pocketing it. "Filthy urchin," he mumbled before walking out of the building.

Layla didn't know what to say. Self-consciously, she looked herself over with a frown. Alva got up and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, "Don't listen to that thug. He's one to talk, looking like a womprat's rear end. What you did was a good thing; it's just that not everyone is as polite as you, ok?" A moment later, Layla nodded. "Alright, go get some sleep. We'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning. I'll finish cleaning up down here."

"Goodnight, Alva," Layla said before going upstairs. She plopped down on to her cot once she got into her room and closed the door behind her. She yanked off her dirty apron and hung it on a hook set in the wall, kicked off her boots, and then flipped off the light. She curled up underneath a soft, woven quilt and closed her eyes. Not long after, she fell into a silent slumber.

_Meanwhile…_

Bossk walked up to a protocol droid at the receptionist desk, his fists clenched. The droid looked up and said in a calm, clear voice, "**Welcome. I'm terribly sorry sir, visiting hours are over. Although, is there something else I can assist you wi-"**

Bossk cut the droid off early by holding up a blaster pistol to its head. "I'm looking for the idiots who removed a tracker from a girl called Layla. Where are they?"

Taken aback, the droid franticly began searching through the records, **"Out of the two that were present during the procedure, Dr. Xzemib has taken leave for the night.** **However, Dr. Fehl is in, currently working with a patient."**

"_Where?"_ Bossk demanded with a low-growl.

"**Room 518."**

Bossk spun on one heel and hurried toward the repulserlift.

"Now, Miss Tamboni, just take two of these pills each morning and rub this ointment on if there seems to be cause of infection or a rash anywhere," said Dr. Fehl, a Mirialan, as he was filling out a prescription for his human patient.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry, and if you still have the same symptoms in a week, be sure to come back." Just then his comm. beeped. "Yes?"

"**Sir, you will receive a visitor in a few moments. He went in search of you a few minutes ago."**

_What the-?_ He didn't have time to finish his thought as the door suddenly swooshed open and a Trandoshan clad in a yellow flightsuit slammed him into the wall, lifting him off his feet and grabbing him with both hands by his shirt. Miss Tamboni screamed and raced out of there, calling for help.

"The girl you removed the tracker from this morning, where is she?" Bossk snarled.

"I-I don't know!" he stammered, "I'm serious! I don't know!" With one hand, Bossk reached for his pistol. "Wait wait wait! I can tell you who she was with. Two adults who looked to be in their twenties. A Zabrak female and a Human male. He signed everything in his name, see?" he said urgently, holding up a datapad in his shaking hand.

Bossk dropped the doctor and yanked the datapad from him, examining it. _Ismail Marchand, huh?_ He turned back to the terrified Mirialan and gave him a crooked grin…right before putting a blaster bolt through his skull.


	10. Chapter 10: He's Coming

It had been one full week since Layla had arrived on Nar Shaddaa. Alva had taught her a few new words over the course of time and also how to read and write some, although she still had problems grasping words like "the" and "do". She had also begun learning about fractions and percents. It was a shock when one night- when it was less busy due to many people watching that night's Blood Ring fight, where humanoids from all over would battle it out in a caged stadium for credits- they received some familiar guests.

"You go ahead and wipe up the tables before we close tonight. I'll get the rest of the orders finished. Layla, you sweep up the floors," Alva had told her and the other Twi'lek girl, Mimi. The three went diligently to work.

The doors were suddenly thrown open and Amelie trudged in, her clothes covered in crimson blood. The source came from Ismail's soaked, red neck, with a bandage tied around it that had already bled through. Another bandage covered his head.

"Please, please," Amelie begged as she set him on a table, "We were attacked by some Trandoshan. He tracked us down during one of our deliveries, said he was looking for Layla. He got hold of Ismail before we could get away. We think we shook him off our tail."

Ismail was shaking his head and mouthing something over and over, but due to his injury couldn't speak. Amelie and Alva tried to calm him back down as he struggled to get up.

"Mimi, help Amelie take him to the back. You know where the medpack and extra blankets are. Make a pallet for him on the floor, hurry," Alva ordered. The two took him toward the back, much to his dismay. "Layla, go get a pillow from upstairs then come straight back down." Alva moved toward the back of the bar as she raced up the steps.

Layla went into the utility closet and picked up the nearest one she could grab, then quickly ran down the stairs. Looking over the railing, she saw the place had completely emptied of customers. The trail of blood that had been there seconds before had vanished. Alva was scrubbing a shot glass with a worn-out rag. She glanced at Layla and tilted her head towards the back, then resumed her work.

Layla went into the kitchen to see Ismail lying on the floor over multiple sheets as Amelie and Mimi did their best to heal him. "Happen Indie?" she asked, lifting Ismail's head gently and placing the pillow underneath it.

"Let's just say he met with a quick dismantlement at the hands of that thug," Amelie answered.

Alva called out from the front, "I need two of you to guard the back door and the upstairs."

"Stay here," Amelie ordered Layla sternly. "Watch over him and see if you can get him to drink something." Both raced out, leaving Layla alone to with Ismail.

Everything was ghostly silent, as if a dark shadow had cast over the place. Layla had been trying to lift him carefully so not to strain his neck, and get small sips of water in him. Eventually he complied. After about ten sips, he started desperately trying to whisper something.

"No, you hurt voice." Layla said. Suddenly, Ismail grabbed her and pulled her face down towards him. For an injured person he was strong.

At first his speech was unintelligible. However, soon it became clearer. And made her wince with dread. "Coming…He's coming. He's coming."

Layla sat up, trying to act calm. After taking out her knife and placing it beside her as a precaution, she continued giving Ismail some water. This time, more for her own sake than his. She feared if she didn't do anything at all, she would freeze up and not be able to move again due to terror. Eventually she heard the door in front swoosh open and heard someone clomp inside.

Alva continued polishing shot glasses, and had a row of them already lined up on top of the bar counter. She looked up for a second to see the Trandoshan Bossk walk in.

Bossk lifted his snout and sniffed the air. He could smell Layla nearby; her scent was strong here. However he also smelled the Human and Zabrak he had tangled with earlier, along with a second Twi'lek. That made at least four more potential threats if the Human had been healed already. Due to habit and suspicion, one of his clawed hands dropped to his holstered blaster pistol.

Alva spoke up finally, "May I help you?"

Bossk nodded, not bothering to play stupid, "I'm looking for a girl."

She smirked, "No offense, but isn't every male in the galaxy?"

Quickly pulling out his blaster pistol at pointing at her, he glared, "She's called Layla and she's wanted by a very powerful friend of mine. Now if you don't open that door, real nice and slow, and lead me to her now, I'll blast you to bits."

Frowning, she moved over to the door to the kitchen, with Bossk jamming the blaster pistol right between her shoulder blades.

Layla was standing there, her knife hidden in the sleeve of her jumpsuit. During the pair's conversation, she had dragged Ismail into the storage room and hidden him inside. She hoped maybe since she was the only one Bossk was after, the others would be alright. She choked down her fear as she saw Alva and Bossk enter, but she cursed herself when she saw he held a blaster on her. Layla looked up and frowned at Bossk, "You sleemo." This was among the new words she had learned, although she didn't know exactly what it meant, she knew it was supposed to be an insult.

He shoved Alva forward, causing her to stubble before quickly turning back at him, "Come on you little runt. You've caused me enough trouble to get your hide as it is. Give up now, and _maybe_ I won't kill your friend, and make your death quick and painless."

There was a click from behind him. Bossk turned to face a blaster, one Amelie was holding on to. "I don't think so, you overgrown gecko. The kid stays with us." Mimi came out from the other side, behind Layla. She also had a blaster.

Bossk had expected as much when he had followed Amelie and Ismail here. Unfazed and while holding up one hand, he slowly holstered back his blaster, only then to quickly put out a thermal detonator from a pouch and hold down the button on it. The detonator's light flashed on to red as it activated, and he held it out for the others to see. He laughed. "Haw! You're not the only creatures with a few tricks," he then turned his gaze back on Layla, "You're choice, kid; either come quietly or everyone dies."

Layla tried to think of any way to stop him, but couldn't think of a thing with that bomb in his hands. Bossk held all the playing cards and he knew it. If they shot him, the detonator would go off. If they didn't, the timer would go off and they'd all die anyway. Clenching her shaking fists, she walked over to him. In seconds, he flipped off the detonator and held her by one arm.

Bossk backed away to the exit slowly, gripping Layla tightly. The others moved into different positions, each aiming at his chest. Alva moved to the bar and drew out a blaster rifle, aiming it as well. He smiled when he reached the doorway. "Pleasure doing business with you," he reactivated the detonator and tossed it to the ground.

"No!" Layla screamed, trying to leap over and block the blast by flinging herself onto the bomb. However, Bossk grabbed her around the waist and pulled her outside, closing the door behind him. Pulling her away, they heard a loud _boom_ from inside and smoke started billowing out of the building. She fought in his grip when she remembered, _the knife! _ She pulled it out of her sleeve and swiped at Bossk repeatedly. She had scored a numbers of minor gashes on him when he gripped her wrist tightly, forcing her to drop the bloody utensil.

After attaching a pair of binders to her, Bossk flung her still struggling and screaming form across one shoulder and marched off to the _Hound_. Interested patrons stared at the sight, but knew better than to get involved.

Once inside, he threw her right into one of his meat lockers-small alcoves meant to hold captured merchandise. "That tears it!" he yelled, gripping onto both sides of the locker and glowering at Layla, who in turn glared her now turning ice blue eyes at him, "I _was_ going to let you off easy compared to what Pekt would do to you, but forget it! You'll be in his hands soon. Believe me; if you thought for one minute you were in trouble then, you're in deep now, whelp!"

He activated the energy gate, locking her in, before going to the ship's medbay, grumbling the entire time. The _Hound_ was soon off planet and in hyperspace.


	11. Chapter 11: Jubili

For an annoying runt that had caused him so much trouble, the merchandise Bossk had been sent to collect had been awfully quiet. In the cockpit of the _Hound_, he flipped the surveillance switch and the skinning bay appeared on-screen. No, she hadn't managed to sneak out; she was still contained in the meat locker he had thrown her in. Actually, she was sound asleep, curled up with her head resting on her knees. The fact that she wasn't completely terrified by all of this annoyed him. _You're more stupid than I thought if you think you can get away again, _he thought to her, glowering.

He was getting bored, and had just about decided to wake the girl up and give her something to be afraid of when all of a sudden, the _Hound_ lurched out of hyperspace, throwing Bossk out of the pilot's seat and sprawling onto the floor.

With a guttural curse in his native tongue, he stood up. "Hound, what the heck is going on?"

After a moment, the _Hound's_ responsive programming answered in a metallic baritone voice, "Nothing wrong. No errors or malfunctions. Drop out of hyperspace was successful."

Bossk peered out of the viewport. Just as he figured; they were nowhere near Trandosha yet. This was probably one of the _Hound's _idiot bugs. A low growl erupted from his throat. Mumbling to himself, he went to check on the hyperdrive and navi-computer; they were both in working condition. Growing suspicious, he went down to the skinning bay.

_Bam!_

He slammed a fist on the side of the locker Layla was in, startling her wide-awake and deactivating the energy gate that held her inside. Bossk had failsafes everywhere; it wasn't entirely impossible for her to get into one of them. Once he stepped in, he picked her up by the collar of her jumpsuit and lifted her up onto her feet. "What the heck did you do to my ship? You better not have tampered with any of the controls!"

Layla shook he head rapidly while trying to release herself from his iron like grip, "No know what you talk 'bout. I touch nothing." Her terrible speech was another thing that perturbed him. Bossk threw her into the main area of the skinning bay and casually, he followed her as she tried to get back on her feet, ready to give her a through beating.

Something rocked the ship again, forcing both to grip to the walls for support to keep their balance.

"_Hound!_ Analysis!"

"Received contact with the Jubili system. Tractor beam has been locked on at full power. Will be landing in ten minutes and counting."

_Tractor beam? _Just was he needed; some ignorant authorities stopping him from completing this job. Grabbing Layla by one of her wrists, he dragged her up to the cockpit with him and secured her to the co-pilot's chair. No point in her getting out of his site.

By the time the _Hound _landed on the surface, he had all of his weapons on his person, fully charged and ready, and shoved Layla ahead of him like a living shield as they walked down the boarding ramp and into the planet's fresh air and bright sunlight. Most of the planet was forested, with looming trees that were hundreds of years old filling every view. After the days of the Old Republic and the New Sith War had ended, Jubili had been abandoned and left declared uninhabitable due to the many dangerous creatures that roomed on it. However it seemed at least someone had managed to start a life here; there was a large- and obviously newly constructed- compound not too short a distance away. It only appeared to be a few years old at best.

Bossk stared at the compound, wondering who would pick such a backwater world like this to reside on, when a group of large guard-droids some approached them, blasters raised. He hissed at them defiantly and leveled his own blaster pistol at the nearest one.

"No need for that," said an accented voice. Bossk quickly looked in the direction on the voice to see a tall, strong, Rattataki male smirking, resting against a landspeeder. The male was clad in a mixture of armor and cloth garb that covered his entire body, and had different cybernetic implants on his hands, legs, and face, including an artificial eye. "After all, there's no reason why we can't act civilized now is there?"

Glaring at the male, Bossk said, "You tell me. I'm the one who got dragged down to this rock by a tractor beam."

"Well, how else may I receive guests? Do you really believe anyone would land here willingly?"

"Get to the point, tin head."

He gestured to the landspeeder, "Of course, once we arrive at my estate that is. You both must be exhausted from your trip to wherever and you deserve a moments rest."

"What makes you think we'd go with you?" Bossk gripped Layla tighter, insuring she wouldn't try to run off to this male. If she was granted safety here, than he was a goner.

In response, the man snapped his fingers and the sound on multiple blasters being switched from 'stun' to 'kill' mode could be heard, "Well, I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter, do you?"

A few minutes later, the three were in the landspeeder; the Rattataki driving in the front, explaining how he acquired his wealth and enjoyed the solitude here, Layla staring around at the surrounding droids that followed, and Bossk holding her by her binders to make sure she didn't try jumping out. He had already learned that this girl could be very unpredictable and risky at times.

Once the landspeeder stopped, it was revealed that the compound wasn't just one building, but rather a large facility, almost as if a base of some sort. Bossk- muttering the entire time- was relieved of his weapons by a pair of guard droids. He and Layla were then taken to a structure that was very prison like, except the cells were cube-shaped pits of metal where the only light that poured in came from the gratings above.

Crossing his arms and shouting up to the grate, Bossk yelled, "Just what do you plan to do with us now?"

His voice came through a hidden speaker that must be in the cells. "As you can see, on this world, entertainment is in very short supply. I have to keep creating new ways to amuse myself, and one of my little games is to have some sport with whatever riffraff stubble upon my home. I recognized your ship as it neared and then the two of you from seeing you both on the holotube from time to time, and I decided this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Bossk growled, "What's the game then?"

"One that you would know well, Trandoshan; a hunt. Save now, you'll be the one being hunted. In a few hours, you two will be released into the forest and will be given a head start, along with some supplies to help you a little and make things that much more interesting for me. The rules are simple; make it past the borders and you live. However, if I catch you, well, I think you can figure that out on your own."

His muscles tightened in rage, "Why you dirty spawn of a-"

"Now, now, none of that. Wouldn't you be enjoying the same form of entertainment after all? Besides, I am giving you two hours before the chase begins. That could be shorted if you want."

Layla's binders had been taken off by the guards when she had been placed in her cell, however, it didn't make her feel any better. She began feeling around the cube for any sign of an exit, but the walls were sealed tight.

"Don't bother, child, there's no escape," came the Rattataki's voice from some place in the walls.

No escape. She had heard that enough times already that it made her scowl upon hearing it once more. She also detested the thought of being watched by someone she couldn't see right back. She hated all she'd been through for the past months. That hate was enough for her to bring up a little courage. "You say you good hunter, why no fight fair? Use big weap-on and we have none. How that fair chance?"

Bossk could hear her from the adjoining cell. _Is she __**trying **__to make things worse? _he thought with disgust, leaning back against the wall. He was surprised at the Rattataki's response.

The Rattataki considered her words for a moment. Perhaps he didn't give his quarry enough of a chance to show themselves. Plus, things _had _been getting a little dull, and this would only make the game that much more intriguing for him.

"Hmmm…Very well, then. I suppose I could allow a knife given to each of you in the event of close-range combat, so you have some type of means to show sport. I'll also increase your head start by an hour, but that is as much as I am willing to compromise." He cut the speaker off and soon began preparing.

All was silent again in the prison. The Rattataki never spoke with them a second time. Right, now the two needed to mentally prepare themselves for this; Bossk, by having never been hunted like this and needing to defend his pride and Jaggannath points as the Scorekeeper watched on, Layla, having lived through this more often than to her liking and just wanting these repeating nightmares to end.

Both were given some water and food through the grates and after a while backpacks were tossed down to them as well. There was enough food and water to last the pair a few days, iodine, rope, and, as promised, a knife in each pack. Layla hooked the knife to her belt after examining the grooves of the blade to make sure it was in good condition.

A guard droid helped lift her out of the grate and led her outside. Bossk was led by another droid, just as heavily armed as its comrades, on the opposing side of the compound. Once it was checked that they both had reached their places they were required to stand at for a moment, the droids checked their markers and simultaneously gave Layla and Bossk the order to start running.


	12. Chapter 12: Another Hunter

Layla began sprinting into the woods at a swift pace as soon as she was given the clear to go. She risked looking back and was glad to see the droid wasn't following here. As she ran, she contemplated on what her strategy should be for this challenge.

The man after her and the Trandoshan was a sport hunter; that much was clear. All of the men back on her world only hunted for need though, or to take out threats. So how would he react? _Overconfident and cocky, _she thought. He had proved that when he willingly allowed the use of a knife and the extra time, but he still wasn't so stupid to give them any real weapons.

Something else worried her. The man had said he had seen both of them on the holotube. He would know the kind of things she was capable of, including the craftsmanship of a bow and arrows. He would be prepared for that. He would be prepared for all of her tricks. _Guess I'll have to come up with a few new ones._

Since she wasn't sure of this planet's cycles and rotation, she couldn't judge by the sun how long she had been moving. Her legs were beginning to ache though and she had guessed that at least half of her time had already been spent. She believed she should keep moving to try to reach the end and get across the borders-wherever that was- as soon as possible, but if she ran into trouble along the way, she'd be too tired to fight back.

Layla examined her surroundings, which was mainly trees and brush. However, there was a small creek that would prove to be a good water supply if she ran out. The forever shading treetops shaded most of the leaf and twig covered earth, casting most of the area in a shadowy darkness. This might be a good place to rest, at least for a little while. There was just one thing she needed to take care of first.

Dropping to her knees, she began digging into the loose dirt with her bare hands.

Bossk moved fluently through the forest with remarkable speed. Gripping his knife is one hand, he went through his overall plan in his head. _One; kill that no good pile of nerf-waste. Two; get my weapons back. Three; get my ship back. Four; capture Layla- again- and get off this rock. _

Speaking of Layla, maybe she wasn't as stupid as he originally thought. She had managed to avoid him up until her foolish sentimentality got the better of her judgment. Besides, hadn't she earned them both time and weapons? Bossk's eyes widened slightly and he almost stopped dead in his tracks. How could he actually feel even the barest amount of _respect _towards the near-human? She was a weakling. She was foolish and naive. She deserved a fate far worse than death. He could've kicked himself tenfold for such thoughts.

Grumbling in his native tongue, he continued running.

The Rattataki, Arnis Kilvaari, moved through the forest with a silent tred. The sun was already setting low on the dim horizon. He had decided to try searching for the girl first, in curiosity of her strategy for survival. He doubted it would be much different from her last one; where she slept in the trees and kept quiet until the right moment to strike. Humans and near-humans alike lacked much creativity, especially if they believe something works well enough on its own.

He came to a halt upon noticing the unnatural position of leaves and twigs scattered about on the ground. For many years he had studied the art of tracking; he was hoping she wouldn't leave such as obvious trail for him. When he noticed clumps of unearthed dirt and a large, newly made mud pile by the creek, he was certain; the girl had made a pitfall trap.

Arnis picked up a tiny pebble and tossed it to what would have normally been seen as harmless, solid ground. The pebble fell through the twigs and leaves. Not long after, he heard the impact of it hitting real ground. He smirked.

"Nice try, young one, but a fighter like you should know I wouldn't fall for a trick as meager and pathetic as this. I was expecting for a real challenge and you have yet to give me one," he called out up to the trees. "I know you're somewhere around here, but do not fear, I'm not quite through with our little game. However I expect more from you next round, my dear." With that, he clicked his blaster to scare her, and then left in search of the Trandoshan.

About five feet under the ground in her small hole, Layla didn't dare breath as she heard the man coming, when he threw the rock down, or as he spoke. She was as still and quiet as possible. Her hands and fingers ached from all of the digging. Layla was relieved when he hadn't discovered her hiding place, and was glad to know he had fallen for her trick.

It was natural for any animal to avoid a pitfall trap, especially when they could tell easily if one was near. She wanted to make sure the man saw it if he came nearby, but also make sure it was well covered at the same time. No sooner had she tossed the brush over the entrance of her hide out, she had heard movement and jumped in. The space was cramped, but she could keep digging later in the night. Tomorrow, she might as well add some spikes for when it did get roomier, that way if anything did happen to fall through, she wouldn't face it without it at least being injured.

With a small sigh, she flexed her fingers and continued digging. This would be a long night if she wanted to make this a decent campsite. She still needed to add a leave floor too.

Bossk continued moving with ease. His powerful body was built for moving on like this and he had reserved stamina and endurance. He could see the borders already. He just hoped his bounty hadn't gotten herself killed already. Taking a closer look, Bossk skidded to a stop and hid behind a tree, fangs gritted in anger.

He could see the borders all right. He also saw some security droids guarding it, all with fully loaded blasters.


	13. Chapter 13: Ally?

Three standard days. That's how long it they had been stuck on this rock. So far, Bossk had met up with their capture four times. Apparently, he hadn't caught Layla yet, since he never really had anything worth boasting about. Still, every time they met up, Bossk barely would scramble out with his hide intact. Part of the time, it seemed the Rattataki _wanted_ him to get away, like a sick game of cat and mouse. If Bossk had his weapons, this would be all over pretty easily. He would have recaptured Layla and ended the life of the scum, already offworld by now.

_Five. Make that five times, _Bossk thought as he skid to a stop. The Rattataki stood there in some type of clearing, as if waiting for him. Bossk pulled out his knife, prepared to launch himself at his assailant.

"Funny how we just keep running into one another, isn't it?" Arnis said, with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, ironic," Bossk replied with a hiss, glaring at him and not amused in the slightest.

"Strange though, how I've yet to see your little friend. She's surprisingly very good at this game; remarkable at hiding. I might've, however, figured she would have gone on offense by now."

So he hadn't even seen Layla yet. He didn't know whether to take that as a good or bad sign. It could also mean that some of the planet's wildlife might've gotten to her first. "Some supposed 'hunter' you are; you can't even find a little girl."

Arnis frowned a bit, "Oh. And I assume you've seen the female?"

He shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Yes, well, shame that I won't know if you do or not; that tidbit might have given me an edge. I do grow tired of these chases at one point or another though," he raised a blaster, leveling it at Bossk's chest.

Arnis fired.

Bossk had just enough time to leap away and pin his spine against the back of a tree, the heat of the bolt warming his arm as he dodged. The shot hit another tree a couple yards away.

"Come now, I've heard Trandoshans were known for their skills in combat. Won't you mind showing me them, or are you too cowardly to face me?" Arnis taunted. It took almost all of Bossk's self-control _not _to leap other and try to pry the Rattataki's head off, but he knew he would wind up as a blank-eyed corpse if he attempted anything like that.

"Ah, there you are," said Arnis, once more getting within firing range of Bossk, "I'd hate to cut our little adventure short, but it's time to say farewell." He raised his blaster again.

Bossk couldn't keep dodging forever; he prepared himself to duck and lunge adrenaline, pulsing through his blood. He didn't know if he would make it out of this now, but he had to at least go down with a fight. He waited for the shot to signal when he should make his move.

There was none.

A small, wooden spike, an arrow, had suddenly pierced through Arnis's neck. He stood there, wide-eyed and dropping his weapon, choking on his own blood. Eventually, he collapsed to the ground, a gory mess.

Layla stood frozen up in the trees, bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, holding her hand-crafted bow. She had just finished making it, when she decided to try to restock her food supplies and maybe make it across the borders to freedom. When she saw the two, instinct caused her to react.

She hadn't intended to kill the Rattataki originally, but she did.

She did because it had quickly become her nature to do so. To eliminate her threats without second thought. In fact, she was aiming a second arrow at the Trandoshan right then. She wanted to survive, and he stood in the way of that.

Still, how badly did she want to? Enough to add even more people to the continuously growing list of ones she already killed? The weapon shook in her grasp from confusion, fear, and pain. Swiftly, she decided just to run away while she had the chance and began moving through the trees once more.

Bossk looked up to where the arrow had come from. There was no doubting it, it had to be Layla.

On the downside, now she was his _ghrakhowsk; _meaning that, by Trandoshan religion, he owed her a life debt for saving him. He hated that, because it meant he couldn't collect the bounty on her or get any payback for all the trouble he went through to nab her in the first place.

He heard leaves shifting, meaning she was leaving, and was about to head after her when something beeped behind him. The leaves stopped and Bossk guessed Layla had heard it too. Looking back, he noticed a holocomm on Arnis's wrist activate. A man of the same species, only much rougher looking and rigid, even without much cybernetics appeared as a tiny hologram.

"_Greetings. Just to let you know, this is a recording. I am Qwen Kilvaari. If you are seeing this, then my brother's vital signs show he is dead and you have my regard in besting him as an opponent. _

"_However, this game isn't over yet. Now, you have my interest and have made yourself a target of my revenge. Can't have that now, can we? Depending on where I am in the galaxy, I will be there within a standard day. I suggest you prepare. Just to let you know, do not bother trying to use my brother's current weaponry, for all have been programmed to deactivate upon his death. Good luck."_

The hologram switched off. This was all going to happen again. And if this guy was a problem, his brother would be worse. Bossk was deep in his meditations when he heard leaves rustling again. Quickly turning he shouted up, "Wait! Hang on!"

Layla kept going, but as her anxiety grew, she lost her concentration and footing, slipping and landing hard on the ground below, air escaping her lungs as her spine slammed into the earth. Bossk ran over to her just as she was swiftly getting up, and grabbed her arm before she could take off again.

"No! No!" she shrieked at him, trying to free herself. His grip was like steel.

Bossk grab her by her other arm as well and pinned both of them to her sides, refusing to let go and his anger building at the fact that she wouldn't listen. "Just calm down," he said through gritted fangs. As Layla kept struggling, his claws dug into her skin, drawing blood. He pulled her closer and held her against him so she couldn't injure herself as easily and further immobilizing her.

Seeing that this tactic obviously wasn't working, he thought back to what parents on his homeworld did to get children to relax whenever their yet to be controlled rage and blood lust got out of hand and they threw tantrums. He wasn't sure other species' parents would do something similar, but what else was there? Softly, he began making a low, purring sound. One similar to that of success from the hunt.

At first Layla's fighting only got worse, fearing that the latter was what the sound meant. When no pain or death came to befall her, she calmed down a little. Her breathing slowed and she stopped screaming.

"That's it. Calm down," he said reassuringly as he continued making the noise. Bossk wasn't used to talking like this. It was something unfamiliar and odd to him, but it was helping.

When he felt she had finally settled down, he released her from his grasp slightly, then a little more. He wouldn't let her go completely; she was known for sudden tricks and her speed. Bossk figured she might just run off again.

Layla looked up at him, her face hardened, but with a hint of fear in her eyes. Her knife was the easiest weapon to reach, but she knew by the time she pulled it out he would've stopped her again and taken it away.

"You heard what the guy on the recording said, right?"

After a second, she nodded.

"And you know that means we're in for another fight, right?"

"What you mean 'we'?"

"Look, I don't like this anymore than you do- believe me on that, whelp- but we're going to have to fight together to get out of here alive. Got that?"

"No. Cross border. Like man said."

He could've hit her. "There is nothing but death at the borders! I've checked. It's just a bunch of droids heavily armed. You're committing suicide if you try to get past it."

"Why believe you? Why trust you?"

She shouldn't. She had no reason to. Bossk knew that, but the glare in her eyes demanded an answer. "Because we both want to live. Just consider this a temporary alliance. We'll head back to the fortress bright and early, get some decent weapons, and fight back. Once the new guy's dead, it's over. Ok?"

Layla paused, thinking this through. She didn't like the thought of facing someone worse than the other man, but she didn't want to pair up with this Trandoshan either. He hadn't even given a real answer to her question.

"Ally?" she said quietly, suspiciously.

"Yes, we'd be allies. Now what's it gonna be?"

Did she have much choice? He still had a hold of her and could rip out her throat in a second. She nodded slowly, "Ok…"

"Good," Bossk flashed a toothy grin, letting her go. "Now, let's set up camp."

"No."

He looked back at her. "What, are you mental? We can't head out just this second. We'd be too ill-prepared to fight back."

"No," she repeated, then pointed off in the direction of the way she came, "Already camp. This way." She began walking, leading to the side instead of directly ahead, looking back to make sure the Trandoshan wouldn't attack her from behind. He was reluctant at first, but Bossk followed the young near-human.


	14. Chapter 14: Back at Camp

They trekked back to Layla's campsite without running into any trouble and made it around dusk. Thankfully, the guard droids didn't seem to be after them. The pair stayed in constant silence. Bossk mused of anyway he just might be able to still cash in after all of this was over. There had to be some way for his life debt to be paid with relative ease.

At first, he couldn't tell where the pitfall trap/camp was. Layla got down on her hands and knees and began pushing the leaves and sticks to the side, revealing a large hole. She had done much more to it than on the first day when she had hurriedly dug it. It was a lot roomier. Her pack rested by the wall for a pillow and leaves and grasses covered the bottom to make a floor of sorts. A small nook was dug into the wall, meant for fires by the looks of the dust and ashes gathered in it.

"Creative," Bossk muttered to himself as he followed after Layla, jumping down into the pit as she began covering up the roof once more. Whether or not she heard it was a mystery to him.

As Bossk set his own pack down and sat down, Layla tried starting a fire with some flint stones she found. Eventually, she got a few sparks and it began to bloom until a small flame appeared. From then, she was able to build it up with ease. She scooted over to the wall opposite of him.

For a while, they barely regarded one another. Occasionally, someone would dig into their pack to get a sip of water or something to snack on. Time passed like this until it grew dark and the fire burned down to glowing embers.

The two tried to get some sleep that night, but one another's presence was uncomfortable. Bossk finally just sat up against the wall, and decided he would take watch incase their new opponent came earlier than expected. He removed his flak vest and the top part of his yellow flightsuit to make himself more comfortable, revealing his scaled, bare chest. Layla just laid there with her eyes wide open for a while, too afraid to fall asleep, before fatigue took over.

Once in a while, he would glance over to Layla, watching her sleep. It was surprising how peaceful and meek she seemed like this. She didn't make any sound accept for an infrequent, shallow breath. He wondered if maybe something was wrong was her health or if she just didn't snore period.

He resumed thinking of how he was going to pay off his life debt, along with coming up with a strategy to get off of Jubili. Perhaps he'd get lucky and she'd get into trouble during their fight against Kilvaari; he could probably save her that way. Then again, luck didn't seem to be on his side lately. Either way, he couldn't just kill her anymore. Even if he paid off his debt, it would be pointless if he just turned around and sentenced her to death right after. He didn't think he'd ever get stuck with something like this…

He flinched and raised his claws in a deadly fashion, ready to attack upon feeling a solid weight press against his leg. Bossk froze and looked dumbfounded when he saw Layla, still unconscious and unknowing of her current actions, curled up against him like a youngling might be. He was tempted to shaking her awake and getting her off of him. However, she seemed too tired and needed rest- being a warm-blooded creature, a lot of her energy was used to create heat. Besides, she wasn't doing any harm.

He allowed her to lie where she was.

It felt odd and weird, having another being so close without actually fighting them. It was a strange feeling he didn't want to approach any more than he should. He'd heard and seen creatures from other species do things similar- mainly couples who foolishly allowed themselves to fall in love with each other. Love was also an emotion distant to Trandoshans; their love and lust came from the hunt. End of discussion. Even when they mated, males just went back home, got with a clutch mother they found desirable, and left.

There was no possible way they'd fall in love anyhow. He didn't have to worry about it. _Let's face the facts, _Bossk thought, _I'm a hunter. She's just an irritating girl. I kill for a living. She runs off if she's spooked enough. I'm a Trandoshan. She's a near-human with barely enough sense to speak pigeon Basic. And on top of everything we __**hate **__each other. _Bossk nodded slowly with this. Someday in the future, he probably wouldn't even remember her at all. She'd just be a distant memory he had pushed away after this disappointing journey. 

Layla woke up from a nightmare to discover the moon had shifted quite a bit and the fire had completely died out. Looking, up she saw Bossk, head leaned back, eyes closed, still awake…and that she was lying up against him. Embarrassed and nervous, she quickly got up and moved away from him.

"Go back to sleep," he barked in commanding tone without so much as looking at her.

She shook her head, "My turn take watch. You sleep now."

He sighed exasperatingly, "Whelp, you need it more than I do at this point. If you're going to be in any position to fight, you need to rest. _Now._"

She lied back down as ordered, back in her original place and scowling at him all the while for being so authoritative, but didn't fall asleep soon. Since it worked earlier, Bossk began making purring sounds again. Layla relaxed a little, her eyes slowly closing although she fought it to not give him the satisfaction of easily ordering her around.

Disinclined, he forced himself to try to control his temper and reached out to push back a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and then brush the side of her arm gently. At first, she flinched at his touch. She wouldn't trust him if her life depended on it and he knew that. Still, he kept doing this until she had gone back to sleep once more.

"Why I trust you?" Layla asked again before entering the bliss on unconsciousness once more, her eyelids feeling heavier by the second. She was still determined for an answer. "How know you no bring pain or death?"

She heard his response before blacking out again.

"Well," Bossk said in an unfazed tone, crossing his arms over his chest, "You don't."


	15. Chapter 15: Names

The duo got up and began moving a little before sunrise, both as silent to their surroundings and to one another as the day before, which suited them both just fine. Today would change everything. Today, they would go on offense.

Since they weren't met with any threat or hostility, they guessed the second Rattataki hadn't arrived yet. Good; they would need time to prepare. The sun had already dawned high in the sky when they got in view of the compound. Bossk gruffly grabbed Layla's arm and pulled her aside to where they would be covered behind some bushes. Peering over, they spotted several droids surrounding and guarding one of the main buildings.

Once checking to make sure the cost was clear enough for them to race over without getting caught, Bossk once again gripped Layla's arm and then bound for the side entrance, with her tripping slightly before regaining her footing and following close behind. He looked around before concentrating on the control panel by the ray-shielded, metal door.

"Watch my back while I try to figure this out," he ordered her as he removed the panel's cover and examined the multiple buttons and entwining wires. Layla kept her eyes peeled for any sign of trouble, but every passing second her anxiety grew. She looked at the control panel, wondering if maybe she could help to speed things along, but Bossk soon saw her and glared at her in a silent command to do what he said. She flit her eyes away.

Her attention drew to the metal door and the area surrounding it. Maybe there was some kind of key hidden nearby. Looking up, she spotted something that might work just as well; there was a vent just at the top of the entrance. It would probably be too small for both of them to squeeze through, however…

_Idea! _Layla thought, a smile beginning to play on her lips.

After fiddling with the control panel for a moment longer, Bossk eventually just punched it in agitation and snarled. Now he wished he had spent a little more time studying how to work things like this. Upon realizing his newfound ally/pain in the butt had fallen even more silent than usual, he asked without turning around, "Hey, whelp, is the coast still clear?"

No answer.

He looked behind him to discover she had disappeared to who knows where. He gnashed his teeth in anger. _She wussed out! Why that sneaky, conniving little-_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door swooshing open. He rapidly stood up, spun to face it, and reached for a blaster pistol, hissing upon remembering he didn't have it anymore. Bossk was a little shocked to find Layla standing in the doorway, her hand against the controls on the inside.

"How the heck did you get in?" In response, she pointed upward. He looked to see the vent, with the grate still opened. Bossk mumbled, "Next time, warn me when you're gonna pull a stunt like that." After jumping up to shut the grate back, he strode in past her.

It wasn't exactly a compliment, but Layla would take that rather than being pounced on like she had expected from the way he had looked at her…then again, it seemed he was always ready for a fight.

Bossk ordered her to get back in the vents as he searched for cameras. Naturally there could be any amount of surveillance devices watching them. They were extremely lucky they hadn't been caught yet already. He waited for her to return and when she did, Layla gave him directions to where the security room was, which actually wasn't too far off.

Bossk listened intently at the door as Layla whistled through the grates, causing a distraction. The droid inside looked up and around for the cause of the noise. Crawling silently through the vents to the grate in the hallway, she leaned her hand down and gave a thumbs up. Bossk quickly opened the door and tackled the surprised guard droid, tearing it apart savagely. It was a matter of minutes before what remained of it fell to the floor in a heap of metal and wires, with sparks flying away from the mess occasionally.

As Bossk busied himself with shutting down the security monitors, Layla stared down at the metal pile and wondered what she had just witnessed. She could only describe it as quick, efficient dismantlement. She shuddered as she thought of what it might have been like if the guard had been a person.

They moved silently throughout the compound, pausing whenever a guard passed or a door needed to be opened. However, they eventually found the prison locker chambers, where Bossk's weapons- along with those from countless others who had been brought here- were stored. With little grace or stealth, he ripped off the locker doors until he found them, and afterwards shifted through the mess to try to find ones Layla might be able to use. He tossed her a slightly battered blaster he thought must have once been a clone's, considering the model.

"Ok, think you can shoot straight?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Layla looked at the blaster in her hands for a second. It was a little different than the pistol she had used when escaping Pekt and his slavers. Even then, it was with an insane amount of luck involved if she hit anything worth firing at. Still, no harm in trying. She aimed it to the right of her, towards a bare wall…only the barrel was pointed at her chest.

"Nonononononono!" said Bossk as he rushed over and yanked it from her grasp before she could fire. Clearly the girl had no idea what she was doing. He would have to find something else for her to use. Her makeshift bow wouldn't do much good against those droids. "Idiot! You were pointing it the wrong way! You were a hair away from killing yourself!" He sighed as he felt a migraine coming on, and then tried calming himself back down. "Let's find something else for you to use."

A few moments later, they found a Nightsister's, a witch of Dathomire's, energy bow. Perfect! As long as she didn't touch the pink plasma string or arrows and kept her hands on the grip and shaft, Layla would be able to use it safely. She tested it in her grip is for a moment, getting a feel on the new weapon, then fired off a single arrow at a hanging light above. Within a few shots, she had quickly gotten accustomed to it and fired with deadly accuracy.

Bossk was a little skeptical to hand her any explosives, but after considering it for a moment he handed her a couple small ones to hide in her pocket in case she needed them. He looked around to make sure they were still safe as he put his weapons and equipment back into their proper places. Then, he gestured for her to follow him. The pair moved to the nearest turbolift they found and headed directly to the rooftop.

"Now we just have to lie and wait," Bossk told her as he stepped over to the edge of the roof overlooking the hangar, waiting for Qwen Kilvaari to make an appearance. Layla walked over and stood beside him.

A few moments passed before she spoke, "We live this, what happen then? You still kill me, or take to Pekt?"

He frowned, "No, I won't kill you or take you to Pekt. After this, you can run off back into the woods or see if you can make it out alright here. I don't care what you do then, but I'm leaving."

Layla didn't like the thought of being left alone, stuck on this strange planet, but it was certainly better than her predicament just days ago. "Why you change mind?"

He didn't answer. She frowned, but she didn't press for one either. All went silent again for a while.

Tired of the awkward silence, Bossk asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"What?" Layla asked, a little surprised. Ever since she had been thrown into that bloodbath, no one had bothered to ask her that. She was always titled as 'the girl Rigossan', 'contestant thirteen', or more recently now by her slave name or 'whelp' by her Trandoshan comrade.

"I said, what's your name? Your _real_ name," he repeated, slightly irritated.

"…Tyra…" she finally answered in a quiet voice.

"Tyra," he said, getting used to the new title for her. He smirked, "Seems fair for you to know mine since you told me yours. It's Bossk."

"Bossk…" she mimicked softly, testing the name and the way it sounded when she said it.

Bossk allowed Layla/Tyra time to take in the information they had just traded with each other, keeping an eye on the area for any signal for them to attack. Why he'd bothered to tell her his name intrigued him- he doubted that was anything worth mentioning to her anyway. He had asked for hers just to get some conversation going, ease her nerves, and so he'd be able to put some type of label on the girl that stood next to him; the girl that had proved herself a killer, yet was no stranger to running and hiding. The girl that could keep fighting against the odds, but flinch at the gentlest touch. The girl that he hated, and who hated him, but had for some unknown reason save his life and now he was forced to protect.

_Maybe, _Bossk thought with a small grimace, because he hated admitting these types of things, _maybe she's more than I give her credit for._ For the first time, he looked at her and gave her something he didn't give too often to other creatures; admiration. Admiration for her ability to fight, to survive, to have courage when the universe struck hard.

"Bossk," he heard Tyra say one more time, snapping him back to reality, "look."

He did, and he saw a sleek ship landing near the hangar. It was instinct that made him duck down and pull Tyra with him. Bossk watched on to see their opponent stepping out of the ship to be greeted by a large group of guard droids.

"Get ready," he whispered harshly. He lifted up his blaster rifle while she aimed the energy bow.

On the count of three, they fired.


	16. Chapter 16: Fight for Survival

A plasma arrow shot one guard droid square in the chest, quickly followed by a second. The droid stuttered for a moment before clashing to the duracrete ground. The first blast from Bossk's rifle caught one of the guards in the head. He fired two more rapid shots at Qwen, who, registering the change in events, hid behind some of the droids before ducking behind the ship's loading ramp. The shots missed by barely a couple of centimeters.

Qwen took out one of his own concealed blaster pistols he carried in his cloak; being a dangerous man, traveling to some of the most perilous territories of the galaxy required that much at least. Much like his ship, it was a sleek thing, with a smooth, chrome shape that was kept in only the best condition. He examined the area to see where the shots were coming from and saw Tyra and Bossk above almost instantly. "Kill by necessity, but try to subdue them first. I will be in charge of their deaths _personally_," he ordered the guard droids as he pointed their attacker's location.

The droids switched their weapons to a lower setting. Qwen looked through the small scope of his pistol and fire a few rounds as their assailants attempted to take out the guards first.

What shots reached them were off, and those that didn't hit harmlessly into the edge the pair ducked behind. More shots came overhead. Tyra looked over and shot down one more droid, firing at a weak spot near its neck, and then aimed for another. Suddenly a blaster bolt streaked her arm and she gasped from the pain as it burned at her flesh, tearing part of her jumpsuit as well.

"Suck it up and keep firing!" Bossk told her after risking a glance in her direction from the sound she made. He shot down another droid, "Now's not the time to break down!"

She nodded once and kept up the assault.

From behind, a group of guards forced their way through the entrance to the roof and aimed their weapons. One spoke in a deep, metallic voice, **"Halt, prisoners. You are under order of Qwen Kilvaari to cease fire. Drop your weapons and come quietly."**

"Fat chance, metal mouth!" Bossk growled, and then yanked Tyra and himself behind a large, conditioning unit. He turned to Tyra, speaking in a rushed tone, "Focus on these goons. I'll take care of the others." Bossk turned his attention back to the droids below as Tyra began trying to pick off their new opponents.

Although very much out-numbered, the pair still had good cover, equaling the playing field a bit. Meanwhile, their adversaries were in plain view, without much to hide behind save the ship below. Picking up on this quickly, Qwen gave a risky, but effective order. One of the guards placed a heavy weapon on his should and tightened his grip on it, preparing for the kick back.

A missile launched straight towards Bossk and Tyra, breaking apart the ledge upon impact, vibrating the structure. Aiming any higher, it would've killed them. Rock and metal clashed down to the ground below. Both lost their balance and fell.

Adjusting his position so not to land on his weapons or anything vital, Bossk swiftly grabbed Tyra around the waist and pulled her to his chest so the fall won't be as bad for her. When they hit the earth, Tyra was sent rolling out of his grasp. The landing nearly sent him into unconsciousness, but the sound of the droids approaching sent him scrambling back up on his feet and into a firing position. He let off a rapid series of shots before they got close.

There was a loud _shink _sound as some blade slashed at him from the left. When he registered its swing, he moved to dodge, but the blade cut deeply into his arm. Someone kicked his rifle out of his hands and away from his reach. Bossk roared from rage and looked up at this new enemy. Right into the eyes of Qwen Kilvaari.

Qwen lifted a hand behind him and motioned for the remaining droids to hold fire and stop. They did as ordered with cold military precision.

With a seemingly lack of caring about the events that just occurred, Qwen moved the blade away from Bossk and examined it, a smirk on his face. "I must say, there have been many brave- although foolish- souls that have had the urge to fight back rather than hide and flee and instructed, but none have dared so much as to _return _to my brother's and mine homestead. Hmm," he nodded, as if intrigued, "Perhaps your strange tactics were what allowed you to get the jump on him, but as you can see," he looked back down at Bossk, "the game is over. And I have won." He lifted up his blade, prepared to decapitate Bossk.

"You're not taking me down without a-"

Bossk heard something- something between a growl and a scream. What happened next moved in a sudden blur.

What appeared to be out of nowhere, having recovered from the fall, Tyra rammed straight into Qwen, her currently deactivated bow slung up one arm. This sent them both toppling to the ground. Bossk could only describe the look on her face as murderous; this girl wanted to survive and she had been pushed too far. Nothing would quell her until she was certain her threat was finished. Retrieving the knife from her belt, she slashed down at Qwen only for him to grip her by the wrist. She did the same in turn at his attempt to kill her with his blade.

The droids turned their attention to their master, aiming their weapons to shot Tyra. Bossk quickly to out his pistol and fired as his reclaimed his blaster rifle. As he blasted his way through them, his own anger flared, nearly blinding him with unbridled rage.

It took seconds for him to give into it. Once at a close enough range, he dove for the most proximate droid and attacked ferociously. His claws tore through the droid's metal casing, then followed to rip apart wires, tearing away at the insides. A second droid came from behind him, aiming for his skull. Bossk yanked off one of the destroyed droid's arms and swung at his next combatant. Immediately after, he dove forward and tore through that one as well. A third caught his glare, and was met with the same thirst to annihilate.

Tyra and Qwen rolled around on the earth, both bearing several minor gashes. Neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

"Just give up, child. I know who you are. I've seen you. And I know well enough that you are nothing, just a pawn to the galaxy. Make things easier on yourself before you regret it," Qwen spat at her with a crooked grin.

Bolded by his insults, fire in her eyes, Tyra attempted to drive her knife into him again. Soon she was lifted from behind and she thrashed in the grasp of whoever refused her desire, no her _need,_ to end this man. She was tossed away from the fight with relative ease.

Qwen slashed upwards, grunting, once he felt her body and her grip on him leave his. Bossk shoved Tyra away and grabbed Qwen's arm holding the blade once it was in his reach. He glowered down at him cruelly, his fangs bared.

Qwen looked back to his guard droids to find instead a scrap heap of metal, wires, and flying sparks. Not long after, Bossk began tearing at him.

Very soon, he dropped the blood covered Rattataki on to the ground. The still alive male groaned, his body twitching painfully. Bossk stared down at him, watching him die slowly and pleased with it.

"Game over," he growled.

Calming down, Bossk now noticed something else was assaulting his senses. There was the scent of the Rattataki's blood, oil, and heat that filled the air, but also another scent that was bittersweet and piercing. He recognized it well. He turned back to look at Tyra.

She stood a few yards away from where he had left her, shaking. Crimson blood dripped down her mouth some. Her stance was wobbly, weakened, but not enough to force her to collapse…yet. The fire had faded from her eyes, replaced with weariness and grimness. Her bow had slipped off her arm and landed by her feet. Tyra gripped her knife in one hand, still ready to fight. Her other hand was wrapped around herself.

A large, horizontal gash was cut across her chest, right below her where her heart was.

Bossk looked back at Qwen's blade to find it covered in her blood.

Demonic laughter cut through the silence. Bossk looked to Qwen and saw it was from him.

"Your friend is as good as dead…And…And you…you think you've won…" Qwen choked out quietly, grinning like an insane person, laughing at the same time, "B-but you're wrong…oh how you're wrong…Once…the other guards…from farther off find my vital signs have…have blanked out…they'll be coming. You're dead…Your friend's dead…" He let out another harsh round of laughter, "…You're dead…"

With that, he gave his last breath. His eyes stared blankly at the sky, a final message from their proprietor.

Bossk ran to Tyra, who tried to back away from him and wielded the knife upwards. The alliance was over. The battle had been won. They were to go their separate ways. And she felt Bossk was her enemy once more.

He easily took the knife away from her and forced her into a flat position on the ground, keeping her head up. She began to whisper 'no' repeatedly and used her last bit of strength to try to reach for her weapon.

"Tyra," he said commandingly, but softly. That caught her attention, "stop fighting."

She did. She felt death coming for her anyway, ever so slowly. She glanced him over, than reached out to his holstered pistol. She already had it pointed at herself before Bossk put a hand over it and took it back.

"No."

"…Leave me alone…Let me die…" she managed to say.

Bossk placed a hand over her face and made Tyra close her eyes, "Rest."

She did.


	17. Chapter 17: Healing

Bossk sat in the cockpit on the _Hound's Tooth_, rubbing his head as a migraine finally began to fade. Thankfully, his ship had been moved to a nearby hangar- and the systems left untampered- so he was able to find it with relative ease. At least something had gone right for a change.

He had carried an unconscious and struggling to hold on Tyra to the medical bay and immediately strapped her to an examination table. After quickly and clumsily smearing some bacta onto the cut across her chest, he had rushed to pilot the _Hound_ away from the compound, off of Jubili, and into the momentary safety of space. If what that last Rattataki said had been true, and his droid goons were after them next, it wouldn't have mattered if he had got straight to healer; both of them would've been dead if they got ambushed. In his hurry, he didn't even bother to put away their weapons properly and had just dropped them near the boarding ramp.

He now took the time to set up the ship's shields in case an enemy ship opened fire, and then headed back to the medbay. He could feel his own wounds taking their toll, but duty stated he'd have to take care of them last. Besides, a Trandoshan could tolerate wounds better than most other humanoid species could.

When he entered the room, it still surprised him that he found that Tyra was still breathing at all. She was pretty tough even if she appeared so fragile. He took some cotton gauze and wiped away the blood around her mouth and on her hands. Bossk rubbed ointment and placed a few bacta patches on her more minor cuts and wounds. As far as he could tell, nothing was broken. She hadn't gained a head wound either, which was a good sign.

Remembering the blaster bolt wound on her arm, he began to tear the sleeve off. Part off the cloth stuck to the burn wound, seared with it, and Tyra visibly cringed. He only paused for a second before continuing to rip it off of her. After cleansing the burn, he covered it in numb-spray before rubbing on a vile chemical smelling salve. Although it was very strong and potent, it would hurt like crazy. At first her cringing only got worse. She began to gasp and sweat as if her entire arm was on fire. Soon enough, however, she went still once more.

He began to zip off the top part of her jumpsuit to get a better look at the gash on her chest. When exposed, he discovered it had cut deep. It would require some stiches. Bossk frowned; Trandoshan hands weren't suited for tools such as needles.

Thankfully, for cases like this, he had special modifications built. Reaching above the examination table, to the upper bulkhead, Bossk pulled down a complex, automated machinery so it would hover at a much more preferred height. He had a similar mechanism installed above his skinning table. However, this one was mainly for surgical purposes. It would also help for the task at hand.

The gash was washed and cleansed. Bossk made careful work of the stitching, an even harder job given his impatient personally. He had just finished when a beeping sound came overhead.

"**Transmission coming in. Do you wish to accept the call?"** inquired the _Hound._

Rather than answering, Bossk mumbled to himself and headed back to the cockpit to see who the heck it was contacting him. Once he was in the hall, he called out, "X10-D, alert me if there is any change in the girl's vital signs."

X10-D was Bossk's draft droid. Manufactured by Hsskor Dominion for labor, only those deemed worthy by the Scorekeeper could own them. To save a few credits, he had purchased the brainless version, making it an extension of the _Hound's Tooth_ instead. The red and bronze colored unit was often used to control a variety of systems on the ship.

As Bossk sat down in the pilot's chair and pulled himself closer to the control panel, he checked the comm unit to see who it was that was trying to contact him. He made a low growl after finding out. It was Cradossk; fellow Trandoshan, head of the Bounty Hunter's Guild, and his father.

The pair's relationship as father and son had never been what anyone would consider, "good." They could barely seem to tolerate each other; always finding something to argue about. There wasn't any one person to blame really. Bossk was stubborn and blunt; refusing to accept any advice and thinking he could solve almost everything through brute force. Cradossk wouldn't take his son's insolence kindly and- even though he knew Bossk was a more than capable killer- believed he had much to improve on before he could succeed in the family business, therefore he was hard on him.

At first, Bossk considered ignoring it entirely. After the past couple week's events, he didn't want to deal with Cradossk and more than likely hear another rant. However, he'd probably get even more grief from it later on. Sighing, he activated the comm unit. A hologram of Cradossk appeared.

"I was wondering if you were going to ever pick up. I've tried contacting you for two rotations and-" Cradossk stopped as he took in his spawn's condition. He crossed his arms, a smug look on his face, "You're looking a little rough for wear, Bossk. What happened?"

Bossk wondered what his father was talking about for a second, until he remembered the cut on his arm. He hadn't bandaged it up yet. That and there were still bruises from the fall. To top it all off, he hadn't washed for days either, because of the little setback on Jubili. He must look like a walking wreck. "Nothing just-"

"A job gone poorly?"

"No." Bossk answered through gritted fangs. "Why did you bother to call anyway, old man?"

He frowned, a growl erupting from his throat in warning, "I contacted you, you lout, because I thought you might be interested in a job on Iego. I've sent some of my top bounty hunters on this mission and none have returned with their heads intact. If you're successful, this might be your chance to prove yourself to the rest of the Council that you should belong in the Guild."

_I should __**already**__ be in it, _Bossk thought sourly, but he held his tongue. He did not want to miss out on this. Besides that, Iego might be a Republic world, but sparsely settled and in the outer rim territories. It was the perfect spot to drop off Tyra and hide her from unwanted attention. "What's the job?" he muttered quietly.

"What was that?" his father asked, his smug look returning.

"What's the job?" he repeated, louder.

"I'm sorry; I don't believe I can hear you. It must be the transmission," Cradossk said, with a smile playing on his reptilian lips.

Now he was just being a jerk. Bossk put a leash on his temper, "I'm…sorry for the insult…Guildmaster. Can I see the job requirements?" He swore, if he was forced to gush anymore trash, he was going to tear apart to comm system.

"I'm sending you the information now."

Tyra woke up, feeling groggily and with a massive headache. The first time she opened her eyes, it seemed that the world was spinning. After waiting another moment, she opened them again to come face to face with an amazing amount of gadgets and tools dangling above her, most of them razor sharp.

She attempted to push herself up into a sitting position, wondering where she was now. This certainly wasn't some type of afterlife, or the forest she had become accustomed to during the past few days. When she did, she was stopped by restraints. It wasn't that they were tight, but the very realization of their strapping her down made her panic.

She struggled with them for a good while. And then started screaming at the top of her lungs.

Bossk looked behind him as he heard the first scream. Through the comm system, Cradossk heard it too, and raised a scaled brow in question, "Something wrong? Do you have a…guest on board with you?" He used the term 'guest' loosely.

"Nope," Bossk lied, "I just left the holotube on. I better go shut it off. Got to go. Bye," his words rushed together a bit.

"Bossk! We are not through with this conversation, don't you-" he ended the transmission before Cradossk could say more, and then hurried to the medbay.

X10-D poked out of the doorframe, about to say something, before Bossk cut him off, "_I know_ she's awake!" As he ran in, he saw her struggling at the bonds frantically in her attempt to get free. In her tries at flight, she was starting to reopen some of her wounds.

He quickly went up to her and further pinned her arms to the table, causing her to look at him ruthlessly. "Calm down! You're only making things worse!"

"You liar! You-"

"Shut up! Are you really too stupid to see that I'm trying to _help _you? You'd be dead by now if I hadn't given you medical attention. And even if you survived your wounds, the droids would've gotten you and killed you! Count yourself lucky I didn't leave you there to fend for yourself!"

His words stopped her short. Slowly, Tyra lifted her head and looked down at her chest to where she had been cut, finding it sewn shut. As she relaxed, Bossk let go of her. He grumbled some more about her being an idiot as he placed more bacta on her reopened wounds, then started undoing the straps holding her to the examination table.

As she sat up, looking down guiltily for her outburst, Bossk walked out of the room for about ten to fifteen minutes, returning clean and still a little wet from a shower. His own wounds stood out more vividly this way. Rather than wearing his usual attire, he had slipped on some baggy, dark grey pants.

As he reached into a cabinet, pulling out a few more tonics and bandages, Tyra brought her eyes up to stare at his back. It was heavily bruised, and she was instantly reminded of how he caught her during their fall off of the roof, taking the landing.

Hesitantly, she got up from the table and walked over to him, reaching out to gently put a hand on his back. He quickly turned and glared at her, teeth bared, and she immediately drew it back.

Bossk was able to place bacta and wrap up the cut on his arm, knowing the girl was staring at him the whole time. He proceeded to rub tonic on some of his other bruises and cuts, but the ones on his back were harder to reach.

"Can…I help?" he heard Tyra whisper shyly.

He thought hard if there was anything she could do to harm him, but found nothing, seeing as how they were both pretty banged up and he still had a better advantage over her. "Sure," he said finally, handing her the bottle of tonic.

Pouring some into her palm, Tyra again lifted a hand and placed it gently on his back. Seeing that he was fine with her touch this time, she began to rub it in, careful not to press down too hard.

Her skin was warm and soft against his own, and Bossk couldn't say he _didn't hate_ her touch. He quickly pushed away that thought as soon as it appeared though, wanting to smack himself for it.

Once they were both fine medicine wise, Bossk lead Tyra through the _Hound_, down to the middle deck, and to a spare quarters. These were occupied on the rare occasion that he took on partners during missions. "You'll be sleeping here. We're headed to Iego for a job I've got," he paused for a second and sighed, "I'm gonna have to take you with me on it. There's no way I'm leaving you alone on the _Hound. _It's a long trip, so we'll have some time to prepare. Get some sleep, because right after we eat, I'm teaching you how to use a blaster." He headed out, hoping he wouldn't regret this decision.

"…Thank you…"

Bossk turned and gave her a nod.

"…Goodnight," Tyra said, even quieter this time. She hadn't looked back at him.

He didn't say anything, and froze when he got to the door, finally he responded back, "Goodnight, whelp."

As he left and the door sealed shut behind her, Tyra heard a resounding _click_.

She was locked in.

It was best to get some sleep.


	18. Chapter 18: Reaching Iego

Bossk sat in the galley with Tyra. The time had flown by and he felt like he had taught her enough during their short reprieve that she could keep herself alive. Although she would be using her energy bow, he felt better knowing she had the extra skill to use a blaster if she needed to, and that he wouldn't have to watch her back as much as he had to before. And, once he had left, she'd be able to help herself better as she found a way to make a living on Iego. However, they would need to get her something new to wear, now that her clothes were so torn apart. Who would hire her if she looked like she had crawled out of the slums? It was bad enough that she still hadn't grasped enough Basic yet, but thankfully she was a fast learner.

The two were sharing a meal together before reaching the small planet. As Bossk popped another, still wriggling, Doshan Blood-worm in his mouth, he observed Tyra sitting across from him on the other side of the table. She ate her plate of Karkan Ribene quietly; in fact, she hadn't spoken much at all during their journey.

Both foods were of Trandoshan cuisine, only live Doshan Blood-worms were considered a delicacy among his species. Most other creatures would recoil at the thought of it…That gave him an idea.

Picking another worm between two claws, he tossed it across the table and on to Tyra's plate. She jumped a little, not seeing it coming, and looked up at him. He pointed to the worm and smirked, "Eat it."

She glanced down at the worm, then him, then the worm again before picking it up and dropping it in her mouth. He watched as she surprisingly chewed and swallowed it, then gave him a quick grin. His jaw dropped a bit.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I wasn't expecting you to actually do it."

She shrugged, then proceeded to cut off another piece of Karkan meat, "On Rigossa, you eat what you find," she frowned, "_can_ find," she corrected herself, then beamed a little, "I used to it."

_I __**am**__ used to it,_ he thought. His smirk returned at her attempt to speak Basic correctly, then how she messed up on the last sentence. Dare he admit it though; her speech was starting to grow on him. It was kind of cute…well, _almost _anyway.

The _Hound _alerted him that they were nearing the system. He stood up and left her there as he headed to the cockpit. Bossk pulled the _Hound's Tooth_ out of hyperspace and did a sensor-sweep to check for any other bounty hunter ships. Tyra had quickly finished her meal and raced to where he was, wanting to see Iego from space. She gaped upon seeing the planet's violet and white surface from this distance, along with the many moons that orbited it.

Her amazement amused him somewhat. It was as if she was a youngling experiencing the world for the first time. He decided to play along, just for the sake of it. "Here we are; Iego, the world of a thousand moons. Strap in, we'll be landing shortly," he ordered.

She did as told in the co-pilot's seat as he steered his ship toward the backwater world. It was only a matter of minutes before he gained landing clearance to the spaceport city of Cliffhold. He lead her down the ramp and out onto the near abandoned streets. Iego's overall population only consisted of around 4,500 people, most of them castaways. However, there was no telling of the number of Maelibi and Diathim, or Iego angels, there were living in the underground caverns or traveling between the moons.

Once they had stepped out of a small consignment shop that sold clothing, Tyra was once more dressed in something decent. She had kept her black leather boots, since they were still in good condition. However, instead of a jumpsuit, she now wore a pair of dark green cargo pants tucked in the boots and a sand-colored tank. There was also a dark brown belt, with multiple, small compartments around her waist. The outfit was padded, and slightly armored. She also had a dark green band on one upper arm for decoration. Her eyes changed to a brilliant jungle green. A blaster pistol and knife were attached to her thighs by holster straps. Her energy bow was still in the _Hound_. They would retrieve it and a few more tools and weaponry once they had gained enough information on their target.

The job seemed elegantly simple at first glance. Apparently, one of the crime lords, a Corellian by the name of Wonn Ionstrike, had a taste for rare music and artwork. They were to go down into the caverns of the Maelibi and capture a recording of their song, along with an artifact. If they succeeded, they would be rewarded with 120,000 credits.

However, there was a reason the Maelibi were also referred to as Demons. Much like their Diathim counterparts, they were said to be beautiful beings, with metallic gold skin, but they were also extremely ruthless and deadly. Distinct by their horns, claws, sharp teeth, and supposedly hypnotic singing abilities, they would lure sentient prey to them with their song, then burst from their hiding place, drag the fool away, and eat them alive. Their skin was also extremely tough, making blasters virtually useless.

Thankfully, Tyra's arrows were made of pure plasma, and would do more damage. As for Bossk, he would take weapons with explosive rounds. That, and hopefully his hand-to-hand combat skills and her acrobatic abilities would keep them both alive. Both would wear specialized ear-plugs in case the stories were true.

Bossk led her to a local cantina, in order to pick up any information on the best- and hopefully safest- location of the Maelibi. "Stay with me, act like you belong here, and don't talk to anyone unless I tell you to, alright?" he muttered under his breath before they walked in. Tyra gave a brisk nod in answer.

It wasn't as busy as the cantina in Mos Eisley, but for a planet with such a small population, it was a pretty good meeting place for any kind of scum that came by. The pair sat down in a booth near the back. Music from a band neither of them knew played on a holorecording. Most of the patrons there were making small talk with each other, and their voices toned down a notch upon seeing the new-comers. They all almost seemed on-edge, which was natural. Bounty hunters had been coming and disappearing a lot here lately.

Since they didn't have his usual, Bossk ordered some type of booze that was popular here. The owner came back with a tray, carrying a bottle and two shot glasses. Tyra nearly looked like an adult and no one would even risk questioning his drinking, so they would be fine for now. He had her drinking from her glass- although she only took sips at it- in order to help make sure she was ready for the job and the risks that came with it. There was no use in her panicking if trouble did brew. Meanwhile, he just drank straight from the bottle. Eventually, the conversations in the cantina renewed once more.

After a while, the owner returned, asking the usual, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually, yes," Bossk replied. Although he wasn't much a man for words, he had been trying to come up with a good lie since he walked in. "Our ship needs to be refueled. Know anywhere to go?"

"There's a station just across town, can't miss it. It's the most crowded area other than here and he market."

"Thanks, oh and one more thing," he said, stopping the bartender as he turned around, "My friend here," he gestured to Tyra, "was interested in taking a look around the planet. Know any good spots?"

"Not much to look at on this rock. You should've been able to tell that much when you landed," the man said gruffly, growing suspicious, "Why do you ask?"

As Bossk began racking his brain for a quick and logical answer, Tyra searched for one herself. There was something that she remembered about the strange people that would come to Rigossa on occasion; something the scientist had called them. What was the name again? _Think! _she commanded herself. Then the word finally popped in her head.

"For research," she said to the owner. Bossk gave her a warning glance and a questionable look to see where she was going with this as the man looked her way. So her speech wouldn't be as noticeable, she knocked down the remainder of her shot and said the next word as she choked it down, "Archaeologist."

"Hmm…Well, there is the Boneyard, lying north of here and this shallow valley called The Scatter, but I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"Why not?" Bossk asked. He was glad Tyra had come up with a good save, but he didn't trust her with speaking the entire time.

"Dang Demons, that's why," the man said with a hint of disgust, "There are holes in the surface there, underneath the bones, leading down to their domain. You can hear them without even getting close to an opening. Couple of boys went down there once last year, messing around. Neither one of them came back and no one found the bodies."

As the owner left their booth, Bossk noticed that two of the patrons were eyeing them for across the bar. Both of which, were familiar. He pretended that he hadn't seen them, but it was only a few short minutes later that the two approached.

Both of these men were bounty hunters new to the Guild, trying to crawl up in the ranks as quickly as they could. The first of them, and no doubt the leader, was Tartuta; a Dug who had a habit to wait, watch, and see if others will do the work for him. He was very quick and acrobatic, and his primary weapons were a pair of knives that he could spin fast enough to block blaster fire. The second was Furlag, a small, furry thing with bat-like ears, light brown hair, and yellow eyes. It was no surprise that he was with a partner; he had a habit to work with the most prominent bounty hunter that was willing to subcontract with him. He was handy with a blaster, but hot-tempered.

"Bossk, it's surprising to see you here. Did your old man finally decide you could handle a real mission on your own for a change?" Tartuta said smugly.

"Shut up, Tartuta, why I'm here is my own business. And I can take care of myself and handle any job," he snapped at him.

"I see…" his expression did not leave his face.

"Who's the dame?" questioned Furlag, examining Tyra up and down, "Some kind of…business associate of yours, or a client?"

Bossk didn't reply and just gave them a look that said to hit the road.

"If she's the former, perhaps she wouldn't mind doing some business with us sometime," added Tartuta, taking one of her hands and leaning his head down to kiss the top of it. Tyra yanked it back before he could, however, and balled it into a fist in case he tried anything else. She glared and scowled at him, causing both Bossk and Furlag to snicker. Tartuta snarled at him, immediately causing Furlag to fall silent.

Once Bossk was finished laughing, not failing to note how Tyra continued to glare at the Dug hatefully, he spoke up again, "You might not want to mess with this one. She has a habit to attack viciously when she feels cornered, and I doubt you could take her, with or without your knives."

"And how have you managed to keep that dog leashed?" He asked, causing Tyra to bare her teeth in anger.

"She works for me," he lied, "There's the difference. And once this job's done, our partnership is over. Now, beat it you two, before I decide that I'm hungry."

They did, but Tartuta continued to mumble the entire way back to their seats. Bossk chuckled as he looked back at Tyra, "Nice work on ticking him off, but keep a low profile while you're here and don't draw too much attention, especially from people like him. Got it?"

"Got it," she stated, nodding her head and knocking back another shot. She was starting to like these odd drinks after all. It was like they lit a fire in her gut.

Once Bossk and Tyra had left to return to the _Hound_ to finish their last stages of planning and gather their tools, weapons, and supplies, Tartuta and Furlag walked over to the cantina's holocomm unit and made a call to one of their employers.

The voice that responded to their call was bitter, cold, and agitated, "What is it, you idiots? I've got enough problems on my hands without the two of you pestering me!"

Tartuta gave a nod of respect, smiling wickedly, "Boss, I think we've found a valuable piece of information that will put some of your troubles at ease."

"I'm listening…"


	19. (Author's Note)

_Yes! You can skip this! This does not concern you unless you like Christmas stories, but if I have more chapters to this up by now, just continue. Move along….Mooooove along._

_Hey guys! Now this is just an update so I can inform all of you that I wrote a Life Day/Christmas Spin Off to Bossk and Tyra's story. You should be able to find it pretty easily in my stories. This is just in case any of you would be interested in reading it. I kind of added a sort of comical twist to that one. Anyway, that's it!_


	20. Chapter 19: Lair of the Demons

Releasing his hold on the rope that led back up to the sanctuary above- hooked to the edge of a large hole that had dug by a Maelibus and tied to a massive bone of some long dead creature, Bossk jumped down the last couple meters before landing on his feet. He looked up and watched as Tyra quickly and awkwardly slid down a ways before he grabbed her and set her down beside him. Had he not caught her, it wouldn't have been a very pleasant landing. Overlapping her naturally sweet scent was a small, but undeniable hint of panic. It lessened once she was on solid ground, but didn't completely ebb away.

"For someone who spends half the time up in the trees," Bossk muttered, "I didn't think you'd be afraid of heights."

She looked up at him sourly, "I not 'fraid heights," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down at her feet before mumbling, "just fall…" Bossk couldn't help but chuckle, noticing her faint blush. Tyra glared up at the rope hanging next to them, "Not stable," she added, as if blaming the rope itself, "like trees."

He nodded, but wasn't really giving her much attention any longer, his mind going to the task at hand. He licked his fangs in eagerness as he examined their surroundings. Satisfied that it appeared that they were alone for the time being, Bossk shrugged off the pack he'd brought along off of his back and took out a small, cube-shaped device and hid it safely in a nook of rocks on the ground. Built similarly in the way the tracer he had shot Tyra with functioned, the device would send a signal that would lead them through the multiple underground networks and tunnels and back here. He also took out a recorder and hooked it to his belt.

Meanwhile, Tyra occasionally batted at an ear, the plugs protecting her from the Maelibi's siren song feeling odd in its place. She carried a Glowrod in one hand and her bow in the other. The Glowrod cast off a yellow light that stood out within the dark channels.

"Let's get moving," Bossk said. Not knowing where to go, he chose a random tunnel and began walking through it. Tyra quickly caught up next to him, taking great care to watch out for the shadows in case something may jump out of them. As far as either of them were concerned, every nook and cranny of this place could prove a threat.

About fifteen to twenty minutes into their journey further down, Bossk thought he heard something. He tilted his head sideways and gestured for Tyra to stop and stay quiet. Pausing in his own stride, he listened intently for any sign of the Demons.

Tyra moved the Glowrod around them and eventually something- farther off in a narrow tunnel that they had somehow passed and failed to notice before- caught the light and glinted back in their direction. She moved the light over to it a second time and it did it again. Curiosity getting the better of her, she began to approach the new pathway.

At the sound of footsteps behind him, Bossk turned, "Tyra," he growled in a low whisper, "get back over here right now!"

She had already reached the tunnel entrance by the time he finished his statement. There was something all alongside the walls; some sort of thick, golden residue that, when touched, seemed to wobble a bit. It was a little sticky; sap like in appearance and feel. "What this?" Tyra asked pointing.

With a gruff sigh, he strode over to where she was and examined the residue for himself. He had no idea what it was, but frankly he didn't figure that he wanted to find out. Peering deeper into the tunnel, he noticed that, even without the Glowrod pointed in its direction, some sort of light seemed to come from further on through it. Instinct noted that it might be of some importance, but he didn't think he could get through there too easily. Tyra, however…

"Think you can sneak through and see what's on the other side?" he asked. The young girl looked up at him, then to the tunnel again, before giving a slight nod. "Good," he turned his back to the entrance and activated a light on the scope of his rifle, "Go check it out. I'll wait here and keep watch."

Splitting up didn't sound too good to her; not down here anyway. Still, she took a deep breath and cautiously trudged onward. The residue helped bounce the light of the Glowrod off the walls and around the hall, further illuminating the path and calming her nerves.

After she had gone out of sight, Bossk got into a comfortable position. He figured this might be a while. If Tyra managed to run into any trouble down through there…well, at least he'd be able to hear her scream and know about it.

He heard something again; farther off and echoing through the tunnel he himself was currently in. Only this time it sounded like music. Smirking, he yanked free the recording device from his belt.

As Tyra reached the end of the path, she came to a large chamber. Turning off the Glowrod, her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of odd stone fixtures in the walls and ceiling, along with more residue. They widened as she took in her new surroundings. Everywhere on the ground, placed in what appeared to be nests and burrows of earth, laid an army off eggs and Maelibi young in various stages of Metamorphosis. The chamber appeared to be some kind of nursery. She could only assume that they all were asleep, due to the simple fact that she wasn't dead yet.

She didn't have to wonder why there weren't any matured Maelibi protecting the chamber. Tyra didn't fail to notice the rows of sharp teeth the majority of the offspring already had, as well as their vicious looking claws. Clearly they could take care of themselves, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to wake them up would no doubt be a goner; surrounded and attacked by the swarm. Her heart pounded in her chest, as if threatening to burst and soft, a high-pitched sound came from her throat.

She had already made plans to get out and regroup when she took in the details of the far wall. It was entirely covered in some odd form of writing or hieroglyph; ancient even by Rigossan standards. There were also two more tunnels, leading to who knows where, on opposing sides of the wall. The wall itself seemed to have a section that jutted out into the chamber. It appeared as though some of the Maelibi were climbing on top of it and attempting to create a new passageway that would lead back upward.

If she could break away a part of the wall, Tyra figured that it might count as an artifact. And the sooner they got what they came here for, the sooner they could leave. Of course, to reach the wall, she'd have to get past the…

Tyra looked back to the hundreds of Maelibi larvae and eggs covering the floor. _I don't like this plan, _she thought, taking a careful step forward, _I don't like this at all!_

Step by step, one foot in front of the other, she weaved her way through the mass of Maelibi. Inside, she prayed repeatedly that one wouldn't wake up. Occasionally, there were places where there was no way to go around without bumping or stepping on one of them and she would have to back-track and find a new route. At one moment, just as she prepared to leap to a safe spot free of sleeping Demons, she felt something wrap itself around her ankle. She gasped and looked down before a soft, barely audible shrieking sound escaped past her lips; one of the young Maelibi at a roughly matured stage had taken the liberty of rolling over and resting on her foot. Its tiny horns scraped against her calf as it seemed to snuggle in closer.

Biting down hard on her lower lip enough for a small trickle of blood to appear, Tyra nervously bent over and gently began to pry the small creature's hands off of her leg and started to slowly pull her foot away. The Maelibi's quiet breathing abruptly paused as the action began to reawaken him. Hurriedly, Tyra began to shush at the Young Demon before softly whispering a Rigossan lullaby in a sing-song voice. If there really was a god, he was apparently a good one, because the Maelibi drifted back into the embrace of unconsciousness.

She gave no time for another one to grasp her feet again as she quickly but carefully made her way to the other side of the chamber. Tyra took a moment to take a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding back before digging out a few excavation tools Bossk had handed her before coming down here from her pack. She quietly set to work on removing a slab of the hieroglyphs from the wall, always turning around and checking to make sure her task wasn't causing unwanted attention.

She had just finished by the time she herself heard the Maelibi's famous singing. Two things caused her to stop from shrugging her pack back off and stuffing the slab inside; the fact that it really did sound as beautiful as many described and also that it sounded dangerously close.

Tyra dove around the side of the section that was jutting out, hiding herself from view, as a Maelibus came out of the passage on the opposite side. The young girl couldn't help but peek around and see. This Demon seemed to have a deep bronze rather than molten gold coloration to its hard skin. Sky blue patterns- created by what she could only assume to be paint- decorated his face, arms, and chest. The horns on his head were short, but wide and slightly arched back around his skull.

The singing went up a few octaves, as if he could sense she was there. Tyra shrank back into her hiding place as the Demon's head turned toward her direction. He began to go around the section of wall, coming toward her, and made some sort of surprised, irritated noise upon seeing the place where she had removed the slab of hieroglyphs. Tyra pressed her spine tight against the wall and prepared herself to get ready to use the slab in her hands as a type weapon before she could reach for her bow. He was so close that she could nearly feel his hot, sickly breath.

Some insect like sound grabbed the Maelibus's attention and he went back the way he came. Once the sound of footsteps vanished, she sank down to her knees and sighed softly. The grip that panic had fastened around her heart loosened greatly. Almost eagerly, Tyra stuffed the slab into her pack and began to make her way back through the maze of Maelibi young and out the way she came.

Bossk had already finished recording the Maelibi's siren song and was currently taking cover behind a boulder. He could see a couple, just ahead of him, searching for whoever had stumbled into their labyrinth. Soon they would be upon him and know he was there. _Come on, Tyra, where are you? _he thought. Surely if she wasn't already dead- which he half-heartedly doubted- than she would have been back by now.

Once the pair of Demons was close enough in range, Bossk picked his target and fired.

The sound of a bug-like screech scared Tyra enough to cause her jump in surprise and trip over one of the eggs in her frantic search to see where it might have come from. She landed in a heap directly in one of the dirt nests. She pushed herself back up just in time to see a dozen pairs of sleepy- and cranky- eyes look her way. The next thing she knew, they were making screeching sounds of their own and a few tried to take a few bites out of her.

There was no time for being subtle now. Tyra scrambled back to her feet and made a mad dash for the tunnel as the rest of the young Demons in the chamber awakened. The residue seemed to cling to her and she constantly needed the wrestle her way free from it as she headed back out into the main tunnel, fumbling with the Glowrod strapped to her belt all the way and trying to ignore the cries of the hungry creatures behind her.

Bossk was still taking cover behind the boulder, firing away, using explosive rounds. Two Maelibi lay dead. However more were coming, and fast. "Whatever took you so long to find better have been good!" he growled at her once her saw her come back through.

Tyra quickly grasped her bow and joined the fight against the advancing Demons. "Yes, but-"

She was interrupted by a shrill shriek as the young Maelibi marched toward them from the narrow tunnel, practically crawling over one another in their pursuit. Bossk shot upward, hitting the tip of the arch-shaped entrance of the tunnel and causing it to collapse, at least blocking the way for a bit if not sealing it off for good. Maybe even some of the Demons were buried in the rubble.

"Run!" Bossk ordered as more Maelibi poured in from the main tunnel. It would have seemed that they had the entire population against them. The duo raced in the opposite direction, back to the exit and their escape from this madhouse.

Suddenly, one of the walls gave way as a Demon burst through it, having dug his own crude way to their position. It was the one Tyra had seen from before. He tackled Bossk and knocked his blast rifle free from his grasp. Bossk struggled in the Maelibus's hold, roaring and pounding away as the creature tried to drag him back the way it had come.

"No!" Tyra screamed. She felt something build-up inside her besides panic and worry. Guided on emotion and instinct, she reached out to this new thing…

And Force-pushed the Maelibus away from them, forcing in to let go of Bossk in the process.

Wide-mouthed, Tyra stared at her hands, wondering what in the galaxy she had just done? Her first thought was that this was some kind of witchcraft, which was both considered evil and detested by her people. Bossk stared at her as well. He had been stuck with a Force-user this whole time and neither of them had known about it…which actually explained a whole lot about how the girl had lived this long.

Finally, he managed to speak, "How…How did you-?"

"I no know!" Tyra exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously and still freaking out inside.

The swarm of Maelibi began gaining on them once more. Getting back to his feet and retrieving his rifle, Bossk let off a volley of fire as he backed away toward the exit. "Whatever you did, you better do it again!"

It didn't take much convincing once she saw the incoming wave of Demons. Tyra let off another terrific Force push before following Bossk back toward the still hanging rope. Light showered down from the hole above. However, there was no guarantee that they'd be safe just because they made it outside. The Maelibi could just as easily come up from the ground to drag them back to the tunnels beneath. She searched her belt for something, _anything_ that might help them get away.

Finally, she found a small compartment where she had stored the explosives she had gotten back on Jubili. Good thing she thought they might've come up useful later, because now was a good a time as ever. Activating them and dropping them on the ground, she moved even faster to the rope and latched on once she had reached it, climbing it hurriedly and forgetting past fears.

Bossk had already made it to the top and yanked her the rest of the way up once she was within arm's reach. Still, they had no time to take a break. Both took off- hearing the loud boom of the explosives going off behind them and feeling the vibrations of the earth-and didn't stop until they reached the outskirts of the Boneyard. As if on cue, they collapsed, panting and sweating.

Tyra lay down on her back, staring up at the wide expanse of stars above her. _Sky,_ she thought, _I will never __**ever **__take you for granted! Let us never part ways again!_

Soon their panting turned into laughing; maybe in some cases the insane, but happy kind of laughter people make once they've made it through unbelievable odds or feel like they've danced with death. Once they were through with that too, they got back up and began making their way back to town.

"Whelp," said Bossk, glancing in Tyra's direction, "what exactly did you find down that tunnel?" In response, she pulled out the slab in hieroglyphs. Bossk grinned, "Nice find," he cuffed her shoulder, "that'll do for the other half of the bounty. You could say it was a complete success."

"Suck-sess mean pan-ick and sore feeling?" she replied, with a sour expression, "I no think I try at suck-sess again."

Bossk chuckled at her response that it had been too close a call for her liking, recalling her freaked out expressions in the tunnels. Blushing and gaining a little courage from his laughing at her expense, Tyra smirked back and said, "So…you 'fraid Demons too."

The Trandoshan huffed upon seeing her smug look, "I was not afraid of the stupid Maelibi."

This time it was Tyra's turn to laugh, as she repeated, "You 'fraid Demon!"

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Bossk gave her a light shove, sending her sideways a few feet and causing her to almost lose her balance.

Once they reached the city, the two parted ways for a final time. Tyra handed over the slab to Bossk and in return for helping out with the job Bossk gave her a handful of credits to get her on her feet before she could find work. He then headed off to the _Hound_; content in that he now could forget about that girl that had been occupying his time for the past few weeks.

Tyra felt a little upset that now she was alone again, but at least she was safe. And she also reminded herself that although Bossk had been decent company once she got to know him, he had also hunt her down and no doubt killed her friends back on Nar Shaddaa. She didn't know what to think of him anymore, but then again, she didn't have to. He was gone, she was here, and they'd never team up again.

So why did it still bother her?

Tyra shrugged off the feeling for now. She needed to think first of where she might be able to get a meal and a place to stay at this time of night. She began walking through the practically empty streets of the city. Only a few bystanders were out this late. A hint of paranoia crawled up the back of her neck and made her quicken her pace.

Not knowing where to go, she rounded a corner and wound up in an alley. A gruff voice spoke from behind her, "You should know it's not safe for a young woman to be on the streets at night."

Tyra turned around instantly, pulling her bow string back. Before she could fire, Tartuta knocked her weapon out of her hand and grasped her wrist tightly, "You're coming with us, little girl! Pekt will be more than happy to see you again!" He gave her an ugly, crooked smile.

She brought her other arm around and down upon Tartuta's, breaking his hold on her. Tyra kicked him away than took her knife from her boot. She lunged forward, prepared to drive it into his heart.

Furlag jumped her from behind and covered her mouth before electrocuting her with a small, handheld device. Tyra's muffled scream wasn't heard by anyone save the two bounty hunters there.

Soon, the knife slipped free from her grasp, clanging as it hit the ground, and her world went dark.


	21. Chapter 20: Farewells

Bossk had just entered the _Hound_ and contacted Wonn Ionstrike of the success of the job and that he'd meet with him soon to deliver the recording and artifact. Before anything, he took his time to change into a clean set of cloths and wash up a bit, considering that he was covered with dirt, dust, and goo. As he made his way back to the cockpit and began to lift off world, he couldn't help but wonder where Tyra had gone after they had parted ways. His best guess was that she would've found her way back to the cantina to try to find out where she could stay for the night.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer. His scanners began beeping; alerting him that another ship was in range. Not a second later, the _Hound_ rocketed forward as something fired at it from behind.

_What the-? _ The ship was fired upon again. Bossk quickly began activating the shields before the _Hound _could take any more damage. Who was attacking him? He ran a quick scan over the ship and recognized it almost instantly. "Tartuta! That skug!" he roared.

He swiveled his ship around to prepare to return fire. Tartuta's ship began to hail him. Reluctantly, Bossk accepted the transmission. Tartuta's smug form appeared as a small hologram. Before he could get a word out, Bossk started shouting at him, "Why you dirty, pathetic _jetar madle-!"_

"I take it you're not happy to see us?" Tartuta interrupted, "I'll make a deal with you, Bossk. It doesn't take a genius to know that you were here on a job for that Corellian; no one ever comes to this rock unless they're trying to hide or they've got business here. Just hand over the merchandise and we'll be on our way."

Bossk growled, one clawed hand reaching for the controls to fire the quad guns, "Over my dead body! You want the merchandise? Then come and fight for them!"

Seeing the _Hound_'s weapon systems track his own ship, Tartuta just chuckled, "I don't think you want to do that," before Bossk could even question why, he added, "You see, we have _merchandise _of our _own _that I don't believe you'd risk damaging." With that, he turned to look as Furlag appeared in the hologram, dragging a young, unconscious woman by her hair with him; Tyra.

Bossk snarled and a low growl escaped him. Tartuta continued, an air of arrogance surrounding him, "See? You're little friend has become our 'guest' on our trip to Trandosha. And Pekt just can't wait to see her again. Don't think we'll just bargain her away either- we're not so foolish as to get on his bad side, much like _you _are as of now for having associated with her."

"You little-!"

"Goodbye, Bossk," the hologram cut off. As soon as it did, the _Hound _lurched again. This time, Tartuta hit him with an EMP torpedo. Electric sparks danced around the ship as system by system shut off, rendering the _Hound _incapable of movement and defense. Even as it already began angling down back to Iego's surface, Tartuta fired around wave of blasts its way to ensure its destruction.

Bossk heard something explode and held on for dear life as the _Hound's Tooth _spiraled in its descent. Currently meaningless alarms blared through the ship, making his sensitive ears ring.

Then there finally came the crash.

When Tyra finally came to, she was in a very terrifying, and very familiar place. She couldn't contain the scream of horror that erupted out of her and didn't stop it until her voice went dry and hoarse. Hot tears poured down her cheeks. She escaped once- just by the skin of her teeth, but there was little chance she'd get an opportunity to again. Her tormentor wouldn't allow that.

Her wrists chafed in a pair of tight metal cuffs that attached to the wall. A similarly made collar was around her neck, practically choking her, but its pull against her seemed more magnetic. Her ankles were also bound, but at least she could move those a little. Whatever hope she carried drained away from her swiftly.

A sudden, blinding light in the dark hurt her eyes as the heavy door before her swung open. In walked the man she despised most. "You're back," Pekt said evilly, he brushed away the hair that covered half her face to get a good look, grinning upon seeing the tear stains, then backhanded Tyra hard enough to make her cough up blood. He swung a punch in her stomach next. Getting out a long, metal chain, he added, "I've been waiting for this for a _long _time."

Pekt hooked the chain to the collar and did something to make it snap off the wall. He kept one clawed hand around the back of her neck as he unlocked the wrist cuffs, shoving her down to her hands and knees as soon she was free of them. He didn't release her as he undid the others and only let go after he stood up. He tucked the chain; a silent order meaning for her to follow him out. As soon as Tyra stood, he instantly kicked her down again. After a repeat of this, she got the idea. She would have to crawl.

It was beyond humiliating- another one of Pekt's sick techniques working like a charm- being forced to grovel like a starved, beaten dog on a leash in front of so many people. If Tyra slowed or stopped, she was hit. She couldn't look the other slaves in the eyes. When they passed Trandoshan guards, their hissing laughter fell on deaf ears to her. But the fact that this showed to them just how near she was to her breaking point didn't.

After who knows how long of his parading her around, they came to a stop. Tyra looked up. They were in one of Pekt's favorite rooms- the one filled with all his twisted toys and gruesome gadgets all made for causing pain. He paused long enough to let her get a good look around at all that was waiting for her, then tugged at the chain again. She didn't move. He landed a good kick to her mid-section, making her fall.

Tyra pushed herself back-up in position. "Don't tell me that _now _you cower," she heard him say. He tugged again at the chain, this time harder.

_Please…_ The word was on her lips, but the stronger part of her held it back.

She crawled forward.

After arguing his way through the Doshan Airspace Control, a scuffed-up and rough for wear looking Bossk landed down upon the surface of Trandosha none too far from Pekt's palace. Pekt had been born into wealth and still resided with his family. Rumors spread though that his father was getting up in age- like Bossk's own- and soon he would off the older Trandoshan.

The crash had left him badly injured, but alive none the less. He had taken care of the more serious wounds and called somebody up to repair the _Hound _while he was gone. Bossk stole the first ship he had seen and had left as soon as possible.

It would be foolish to try to find a way in like he was. That and Pekt might consider him a target now for protecting Tyra. Bossk didn't easily see the sadistic man respecting his duty to keep the girl safe, the laws of Trandoshan religion or no. This wouldn't be easy.

He filled a pack with as many weapons as possible then snuck out when night fell. He hid behind a group of swampy shrubs near the back entrance and waited…waited.

The guards changed. That was his chance. The moment he saw one crossing through the shadows alone, he made his move, lunging at him and easily slitting the other Doshan's throat. In days of old, it was considered one of the worst crimes to kill a fellow hunter, but times had changed as well as circumstances. As far as Bossk was concerned, he was just following another one of the Scorekeeper's wishes- to protect his ward. She would smile upon him.

Quickly, he dragged the corpse out of sight and redressed in the guard's uniform. Though a bit big, it would do just fine. "Sskeet!" he hears another guard call out, "Come on!"

It was clear that he was talking to him- there was no one else in the area. Approaching the second guard, Bossk was glad that the shadows helped to hide his face. "Sorry," he replied, "thought I heard something."

"You and your imagination," the Dosh stated with an irritated groan. After a few seconds, he added, "What's wrong with your voice?"

Making his voice sound a bit hoarser, Bossk lied, "It's my throat. I think it might be getting inflamed." It was a good enough excuse anyway.

"Get that checked soon. I'd rather not have you sick on the job, especially around me." The burly Trandoshan said no more and instead faced the horizon, occasionally pacing back and forth when the urge to move came. Bossk watched five, ten, fifteen minutes- all the while hoping that the guard wouldn't discover the truth. If he did and Bossk wasn't able to escape in time, Pekt would have his hide on a wall if not worse.

After what he felt was an appropriate amount of time, he pretended to listen to what would've been an implanted cochlear device in his ear canal and spoke into the actually deactivated miniature throat mike, "Yes, sir. I'll be there as quickly as possible."

The other Doshan looked at him, raising a scaled brow in question, "What was that about?"

"The boss wants to see me. Says he's called a few of us to meet with him," by 'us' he meant guards.

"Better start praying to the Scorekeeper now then, in case you've done something to make him mad. Hate to be you right now," he smirked back, "Tell you what? If you live, I'll save a drink for you."

With a nod, Bossk turned and left, feeling tension rise in his chest, _now to find Tyra and a way out of here._

Tyra did her best to fight back tears as her screams rang through the torture chamber. She was strapped to a contraption that functioned as a table, but had the ability to flip around 360 degrees. Crimson life poured down from various places on her body and stuck in her hair and face. Her cheeks were pink from too much blood flow to her brain. Her head pounded and screamed with her.

Pekt moved around her, his own claws covered in her blood. Sometimes, he would just stand there, grinning, watching her suffering in cruel amusement. She tried to ignore it whenever he licked away the red mess from his hands. A fore claw would touch her skin, making tiny, fine cuts wherever he pleased. In one place on her arm, he had 'accidently' cut too deep, hitting bone. He had cleansed and patched up the wound so she wouldn't bleed to death.

After all, what would the point of recapturing her be if he wasn't going to make this last? Tyra wouldn't be allowed to slip away that easily.

Every few minutes, the electric shocks would come- bolting down her neck, her spine, and then finally taking over her entire form until she was nothing but a tied down, jerking and writhing wild animal.

This was only the beginning. She knew it.

His claws pierced one of her legs again and she bit down on her lip. As it was making its agonizingly slow decent up her thigh, the sound of a distant explosion rang through the building, its force enough to vibrant the hanging lights above. With a growl and grumble, Pekt reached for the holocom on a nearby cart, set by an array of wicked-looking tools. It began to beep before he even touched it.

"_What?"_ Pekt snarled as a tiny holo-guard appeared on the comm.

"Sir, there's been an explosion near one of the prison garrisons! Most of the slaves are attempting to escape!"

"Some idiot is going to pay for allowing this to happen!" Pekt hissed, "Kill those that you have to. But I want most if not all of them alive and punished!" He cut off the transmission, and then flipped Tyra over so she lay on her back, "You got lucky today," he told her, "but it only means you'll face much worse tomorrow." While stepping out and locking her inside, he added, "Don't go anywhere."

Tyra tried to relax. An explosion? How much time did that give her until Pekt came back? Probably a good, long while because after the guards recaptured the escaping slaves, he'd be busy hurting them for a time instead of her. That was good…in a sense.

She had to get out of here… but she couldn't. Even if she somehow broke through her bonds and got out of the room, she still wouldn't make it out of the compound- not a second time. And they would chase after her. There was no room for hope…

She cried and sobbed. She didn't know how long she could take all of this anywhere. Maybe she'd get lucky and die of grief, or maybe Pekt would get so absorbed in his sadistic actions toward her that he might make a mistake that would finally end it all.

"Really? After _everything_ you've been through, a little pain breaks you down? I expected more of you, whelp," a voice said. Looking to the side, Tyra saw a guard and froze, but then she peered closer. There was something…odd about him. Quickly, recognition dawned on her.

Bossk stepped closer, wiping away the traces of ash and smoke on his face from the explosion. He had to admit- they made an excellent distraction. So would the fleeing and fighting slaves. He chuckled upon seeing the shock on her face. He removed the straps binding her and helped her up.

He wasn't at all prepared when her arms wrapped around his neck and her form nuzzled up to him. It reminded him of before, when they were still on Jubili and in their dug-out camp. The only difference was this time Tyra was conscious and well aware of her actions.

When he tried to pull away, Tyra's eyes opened wide and she held herself closer to him, obviously not wanting to let go. Bossk, with their chests pressed together, felt her heart speed up a notch. "No…" he heard he whisper softly.

She needed this. It seemed so anyway. Why? He had no clue. But for a minute, he would allow it.

After that, they needed to start running.

Calming her down enough to follow, he pulled her outside of the torture chamber and together they ran through the halls and in the mist of the chaos. Whenever they spotted actual guards, Bossk pretended that he was apprehending her. The cycle continues until they finally had made it out.

They didn't stop running until they were inside Bossk's stolen ship.

He was embraced yet again, "You came," Tyra gasped, hiding her face in his chest, "You save me!"

"Enough with the hugs!" he exclaimed, acting a little more forceful in order to get away from her hold. Sighing he continued, "I'll start up the ship. It's time we get you out of here and somewhere you'll be safe." He started to walk away to the cockpit.

A pair of hands on one of his own stopped him.

Turning, Bossk faced a tearful, smiling girl. She looked to him, then looked down, and with a slight crack in her voice said, "Thank you."

He smirked and yanked his hand free, "Consider it returning a favor." She didn't stop him when he walked off the next time. "Now go clean yourself up. You look like you just walked out of a slaughterhouse! I think I spotted some extra clothes in one of the storage units."

A few days later, they landed on a planet flourishing with flora and fauna- some dozen meters or so from an enclave filled with Force-users called the Matukai. The Jedi and the Sith weren't the only ones out there. Nightsisters, the Baran Do Sage, the Luka Sene- all organizations focused around the Force, but with very different teachings and styles. Here, they could protect Tyra; teach her how to control her new found abilities and, most importantly, how to defend herself.

This was the last stop.

Stepping off the landing platform, Tyra- clad in a baggy and a little too big for her T-shirt and pants- turned to look back at Bossk, who stood in the hatch's opening, leaning with his arm propped up against the wall. And she just stood there, staring back at him and twiddling her fingers.

"Go on!" he practically yelled, "Don't worry. You can trust these guys. Just remember to show them your…magic," she had been calling her connection to the Force that the entire way here, asking him to explain it to her. Just how badly was Rigossa separated from the rest of the galaxy?

She moved toward the woods. After a short walk through them, she'd reach the enclave. Bossk moved back inside the ship.

A sudden wind shot by him and he felt warm lips gently plant a kiss on his cheek. Taken aback, he didn't move as Tyra's soft voice whispered, "I miss you. Will see some day, a-gain. I know." And just like that, she was gone, running back through the brush. Shaking his head in bewilderment and confusion, he prepped the ship to exit the atmosphere.

He couldn't tell if he was imagining it or not when he saw a female looking up to the sky and waving at him as he took off.

_To be continued…_

_((__**Author's Note: **__I want to give a big thanks to whoever has actually been reading this. I know it's not the best fanfiction, especially with a TrandoX…Anyone outside their species, relationship, but what can I say? I like the big guy. He grew on me after a long time of feeling like I was being stalked by a fictional character. [Just after finding out he ate people, it never failed that any books I bought had him in it, whenever I went to Wal-Mart his action figure was there, and most pictures and things I saw online had something to do with him. Believe me, it was creepy!...and I maybe an ity-bity bit paranoid to begin with. ] Then I began researching and reading more, and started seeing him as a kick-butt character, and "The Clone Wars" just made him look better after the whole 'looking after Boba in prison thing'._

_In case the "to be continued" wasn't enough, yes, there will be a sequel. And I'm going to hopefully make it better than this one. After I began writing this one, I started seeing it as more of a start to what could be rather than some tacky love scenario where they just instantly hook-up. And at this point, neither one of them would focus much on love, of course; Tyra wants to survive and is a bit young minded, while Bossk is focused on his bounty hunter career and is trying to deal with how this girl that's suddenly changed the order of his life is going to affect him overall. Both of them see that the easiest way to establish a type of order and ground where they won't be interfering with each other's goals- even if they feel differently or have formed a type of bond/partnership- is to go their separate ways. _

_The sequel will fall more into their slowly budding romance, because they'll be older, more mature, and will have already had this connection with each other that started them off. But I've probably already given too many spoilers just saying that, so…if you're interested you'll have to see later. :P If you want me to continue their story as soon as possible, just send a review. I've got a few fanfictions I'm working on and love them all, but reviews sometimes help me decide what I should get done first.))_


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